


Our Damnation

by Shepherd_Queen



Category: 7th Heaven
Genre: Crack with Substance, Family Secrets, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-06-29 10:09:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15727260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shepherd_Queen/pseuds/Shepherd_Queen
Summary: The life Savannah once knew is no more. One catalytic Christmas brings down the entire Camden family.Originally posted in 2010.





	1. Prologue

_I know there's no greater feelin' than the love of family_  
_Where can you go?_  
_When the world don't treat you right?_  
_The answer is home!_  
  
December 2019.  
  
What if home _didn't_ treat you right? What if home was where all your problems lay?  
  
Savannah sighed, remembering the days of her tender youth when the saying "home is where the heart is" rang true for her. Back when she was little, Savannah Kinkirk had always looked forward to the Christmas holidays. The holidays had been filled with joyous bliss in her younger years. All of her aunts, uncles, and cousins would gather together at her grandparents' house in Glen Oak, in Southern California.  
  
Each year, they would gather at the church to watch the live Nativity scene. When she had been really young, Savannah always got to play the angel—like her aunt Ruthie before her. They would tie her up on a string and she would get to 'fly', just like an angel would. Afterward, they would head back to her grandparents' house to eat a home-cooked meal and exchange Christmas presents.  
  
Oh, how she missed those days.  
  
Savannah's family still got together each year at her grandmother's request, but Christmas was no longer the same; family gatherings were no longer 'joyous' and one might suggest that they had become living hell for the extended Camden family.  
  
Something changed the Christmas her Uncle Simon revealed his true self. She remembered it as if it'd been just yesterday.


	2. Chapter 1

December 2009.  
  
Savannah’s family seemed to get bigger each time she saw them. Her Uncle Matt and Aunt Sarah had twin boys three years earlier, and now they had an announcement to make. Mary and Carlos hadn’t visited recently; but Savannah had gone to New York for the first time that past summer and saw Charlie, her favorite cousin.  
  
She had a feeling something was wrong, but everyone always changed the subject whenever she was around.  
  
Uncle Simon was traveling around the world. He hadn’t been around much in Savannah’s short life; so, unfortunately, she didn’t know him that well. Simon told his parents he had an announcement to make when he got home. Her youngest aunt, Ruthie, seemed very happy with her boyfriend, Peter.  
  
It was Christmas Eve, the day four-year-old Savannah Kinkirk had been waiting for. Today was the day she would get to see all her cousins, aunts, and uncles again. Her mother had spent the morning picking out just the _right_ outfit for Savannah to wear. Once she was tightly bundled up, Lucy smiled at her precious little angel.  
  
“Are you ready to go, sweetie?”  
  
“Yep!” Savannah chimed, she was eager to get to her grandparents’ home.  
  
Lucy picked her daughter up, holding her tightly as they made their way across the lawn to the parsonage where Savannah’s grandparents have resided for over thirty years.  
  
“Come in!” There was a cry from the other side of the glass door. Lucy slowly opened it and was suddenly attacked with the delicious aroma of turkey cooking amongst other foods.  
  
“Wow! Mom, this all smells great!” Lucy said, closing the door behind her and putting Savannah down, pulling off her jacket, hat, and gloves.  
  
“Thank you, sweetie.” Annie smiled at her daughter’s compliment on her cooking. She took notice of her granddaughter a moment later.  
  
“Savannah!” She held out her arms and Savannah ran over to be picked up and held by her grandmother.  
  
“I’m hungry.” The little girl declared dramatically.  
  
Annie and Lucy laughed at Savannah’s statement.  
  
“Well, we have to wait. Your dad went to pick the others up at the airport.” Lucy informed her daughter.  
  
“It shouldn’t be too long now.” Annie smiled once again, holding Savannah close before putting her down. At that exact moment, David and Sam bounded down the stairs. David went straight for the fridge while Sam lagged behind.  
  
“No!” Annie pulled her son away from the fridge and shut the door. “We’re eating soon. Have something small and healthy, David.”  
  
“Will Mary be here?”  
  
“Yes, she and Carlos are on their way.”  
  
“But they’ve been having problems,” Sam pointed out. David looked over at his sister and niece.  
  
“I would rather not talk about this with Savannah in the room.” Lucy had a warning edge to her voice.  
  
“Why not? You know it’s true, she and Carlos are over.” Sam continued to argue, ignoring the glares from his brother and mother.  
  
“I won’t believe it until I see it. Mary and Carlos are together.” Lucy snapped, taking Savannah and leaving the room in a huff.  
  
“Bullshit!” Sam shouted. David gasped and Annie whacked her son over the head.  
  
“Don’t use that language in my house!” Annie shrieked at her son.  
  
“Whatever, everyone’s fucked up around here.”  
  
“Dude, shut up!” David shouted before storming out of the room.  
  
“What’s going on?” Lucy asked, concerned when she saw her second to youngest brother come in the room and collapse on the couch.  
  
“Sam’s a butthead.” He mumbled.  
  
“What’d he do, David?” Lucy sighed.  
  
“He’s bad-mouthing everyone, talking crap about Mary–,” David got a glare from his sister at the use of the word _crap_ in front of Savannah, “and this family.”  
  
Lucy shook her head.  
  
“Don’t worry about him, Dave.” Lucy stroked her brother’s blond hair. “Just worry about yourself and that means _no_ swearing in front of the little ones.”  
  
Savannah sighed, looking away from her mother and uncle. She didn’t understand what was so bad about the language Uncle David had used. It was like they thought she was some sort of baby.  
  
_I’m not a baby_ , she told herself. She was a big girl! In January, she would be five years old; that was a whole hand. She was pretty proud of herself.  
  
Moments later, the door burst open and Savannah’s father walked in. Behind him stood Uncle Matt, holding a suitcase in one arm and her three-year-old cousin in the other.  
  
“Uncle Matt!” Savannah broke away from her mother’s grip and raced over to the door, wrapping her arms around her uncle’s waist.  
  
Laughing, Matt set the suitcase and the little boy down, wrapping his arms around Savannah.  
  
“You’re getting so big, Savannah! The last time I saw you, you were this big.” He placed his hand at about her chest.  
  
“I’m going to be five!” Savannah beamed proudly.  
  
“Wow, five years old.” Matt grinned, stretching out all five of his fingers on his right hand. “That’s a whole hand!”  
  
“I know!” Savannah giggled. Behind him stood the rest of her aunts and uncles. Aunt Sarah was holding the other little guy; he was shorter than the one standing next to Savannah. Next to Sarah stood Aunt Mary and Uncle Carlos. Each of them was holding a little blonde-haired girl. In between them stood an unfamiliar man with blond hair and grey eyes. He stood as tall as Uncle Matt, but he was chubbier. He had the thickest eyebrows Savannah had ever seen and his lips were bigger than anyone’s in their family. She figured this must be her Uncle Simon.  
  
Savannah’s eyes moved away from him and came across a familiar face. His curly brown hair stuck out to her.  
  
“Charlie!” She called.  
  
“Savannah!” He called back, breaking through his aunts and uncles to wrap his arms around her. “I missed you!”  
  
“I missed you too,” Savannah agreed, hugging her cousin tighter. She looked up to see the rest of her family cooing at them.  
  
Grandma Annie busted into the room moments later.  
  
“You’re all here!” She shrieked. “Finally! Goodness, I can’t believe you’re all here.” She hurried across the room, wrapping her arms around her children and children-in-law. “I’m so grateful that you’re all here… _Mary_!” She screeched as she hugged her eldest daughter tightly.  
  
“Hi Mom,” Mary smiled wryly. “It’s great to be home, _finally_.”  
  
“Really, the pleasure is ours.” Sarah smiled as she set her son on the ground. “Is there anything you need help with, Annie?”  
  
“ _Mom_ , Sarah; how many times do I have to tell you to call me Mom?” Annie laughed.  
  
Sarah flushed a little, “Mom.”  
  
“And actually, no, there isn’t anything I need help with,” Annie insisted. “Eric is upstairs changing his clothes for the Nativity, and then we’re going to head over to the church.”  
  
Sarah nodded in understanding.  
  
Savannah walked behind the big chair, motioning for Charlie to follow her. He looked uneasy, but he did nonetheless.  
  
“Is it true?” Savannah whispered when they were out of earshot from the grownups. The adults were all having their own little conversation, surely they wouldn’t notice.  
  
“Is what true?” Charlie asked curiously.  
  
“Are your parents breaking up?” Savannah asked quietly.  
  
“Huh? Why would you think that? No, they’re not breaking up, at least not that I know of…” Charlie trailed off, looking at his cousin suspiciously.  
  
“Uncle Sam said they were,” Savannah insisted.  
  
“Well, he’s wrong.” Charlie folded his arms across his chest defiantly. “My mommy and daddy love each other, Daddy told me so.”  
  
Savannah heard two soft giggles and abruptly turned around to see her smaller cousins. Both shared their mother’s dark, curly brown hair.  
  
“Hi, I’m Jeremiah,” the taller, skinnier boy spoke. He placed his hand on the shorter, chunkier twin. “This is my brother, Jonah…we’re twins.”  
  
“Yeah, we know. My mommy’s miscarried two sets of twins.” Savannah said with a sigh.  
  
“What does _miscarry_ mean?” Jonah asked.  
  
“You’re too young to understand,” Savannah replied bluntly. She loved having someone _younger_ to tell that to. Ever since she was born, she had been the _baby_ of the house. Her parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents were always telling her she was _too young_ to understand.  
  
The doorbell rang and hurried footsteps could be heard as her grandfather thudded down the stairs.  
  
“I’ve got—.” Her grandfather froze when he saw the crowd in the living room. “You’re all here!” He gasped as he stepped into the room. He wrapped his arms around each of his sons. “Matt, Simon,” he smiled, turning around and coming across a face he hadn’t seen in quite some time. “Mary.” He grinned as he wrapped his arms around his eldest daughter.  
  
“Dad,” she whispered.  
  
“Um, the door, anyone?” Lucy asked, breaking up the little reunion. “ _I’ll_ get it!” she sniped, pushing through her family to reach for the door. She pulled open the door and Savannah’s youngest aunt, Ruthie and her boyfriend, Peter, came into sight. Their fingers were locked together, gripping each other’s hands tightly.  
  
“Hi, everyone! Sorry we’re late.” Ruthie smiled. She saw the blonde twin girls – Emilia and Jennifer – sitting on the floor by the door and bent down, placing her hand on their heads.  
  
“Wow, they’re getting so big!” Ruthie stood and came face to face with her eldest sister. “Mary – I didn’t expect to – well, it’s great to see you!”  
  
Mary seemed to roll her eyes.  
  
“It’s nice to see you too, Ruthie…who’s the guy?”  
  
“Oh, this is my – this is Peter, my –.” Savannah noticed the glimmering diamond on her left ring finger. Everyone in the room seemed to notice it also. They all stared awkwardly at her, waiting for answers.  
  
“Your fiancée?” Lucy finally questioned.  
  
Ruthie grinned, “Yes, my fiancée – thanks for the help, Luce. We’re engaged!”  
  
Annie let out a scream, wrapping her arms around her youngest daughter.  
  
“I can’t believe you’re _engaged_! Congratulations, Ruthie!”  
  
Eric smiled, placing a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “I’ve been waiting to say this for some time. Welcome to the family, son.”  
  
All the adults in the room took their turn congratulation Ruthie. Savannah sighed, turning to her cousin, Charlie, who shrugged.  
  
“Everyone in this family is getting married or got married.” She commented.  
  
“Sam and David aren’t married,” Charlie pointed out.  
  
“They’re ten,” Savannah giggled. “I hope I don’t get married when I’m ten.”  
  
“Girls are yucky, I’m never getting married,” Charlie stated, making a face.  
  
“We are _not_ yucky!” Savannah screeched. “ _Boys_ are yucky.”  
  
Charlie rolled his eyes.  
  
“I didn’t mean _you_ are yucky. You’re not like other girls, _they’re_ the yucky ones.”  
  
“Sure,” Savannah muttered. She noticed the commotion had died down amongst the adults.  
  
“We should get going to the church,” her grandfather announced. “Unless someone else has an announcement to make,” he hinted, looking around.  
  
Matt and Sarah exchanged looks.  
  
“We’ll save ours for dinner,” Sarah insisted. Matt glanced over at his brother, Simon.  
  
“Yeah, same,” Simon agreed, turning pink.  
  
“All right, it’s set! To the church we go!” Eric announced.  
  
The Nativity scene was extra special that year. Savannah remembered being jealous at the time, not being the _only_ flying angel. Her cousins, Jenny and Emi, joined her as flying angels. She didn’t think it was fair, she was supposed to be her grandparents’ only angel.  
  
Afterwards, they returned to the parsonage as planned. They crowded around the table in the dining room. Savannah sat at a table for the kids set to the side. Her cousins Charlie, Jeremiah, Jonah, Jenny, and Emi joined her. She didn’t like being left out of the _big people_ table. Sam and David got to sit with the grownups, so why couldn’t she? They were only six years older than her. Then again, Charlie was eight months older than her.  
  
Savannah found herself listening to the grownups’ table.  
  
“Everyone,” she heard her Uncle Matt say. Savannah turned around to see him grasp his wife’s hand.  
  
“We have an announcement to make.”  
  
Everyone’s eyes remained on Matt and Sarah for the following moments of silence.  
  
Sarah grinned widely.  
  
“We’re going to have another baby!”  
  
Annie let out a cry of joy, setting down her fork and getting out of her chair. Her arms flung around her eldest daughter-in-law. “Congratulations!”  
  
On the other side of the table, Eric was grinning widely.  
  
“Congratulations, son. I’m happy for you.”  
  
“That’s great!” Kevin insisted, looking towards his wife briefly. “Congratulations!”  
  
“Yeah, great,” Lucy muttered. She fiddled with her food, looking away from Matt and Sarah. Her face was beet red, as she seemed to be holding back tears. Kevin wrapped his arm around his wife and whispered something unheard by everyone else in the room.  
  
“We’re going to be big brothers!” Jeremiah and Jonah cheered. Savannah tried to ignore their annoyingness.  
  
“How far along are you?” Ruthie inquired.  
  
“Nine weeks,” Sarah informed them. “I’m due at the end of July.”  
  
Savannah couldn’t help but notice Uncle Matt’s glare towards her Uncle Simon.  
  
“Simon,” she could hear him whisper. The younger man let out a sigh.  
  
“I have an announcement to make as well.” Everyone’s eyes focused on him and his face turned red.  
  
“I’m not pregnant, don’t worry.” Everyone chuckled. Simon let out a heavier sigh and his face turned even redder. “It’s…you see…about…remember when I was sleeping around a lot a few years back?”  
  
“Is this something we should talk about with the little ones in the room?” Lucy rolled her eyes, huffing. “I mean, _seriously_ , if you have an STD or something…I don’t know about Matt, Sarah, Mary, and Carlos – but I don’t want my four-year-old informed about that stuff yet!”  
  
“I’m done being ashamed,” he whispered. “I need to come clean.” Simon looked towards his nieces and nephews. “Even they need to know the truth.”  
  
Annie dropped her fork and looked towards her son.  
  
“What is it, Simon?” Concern was evident in her voice.  
  
“The…I’ve realized…the real reason that I…uh, did what I did… well…I was desperate to prove I was attracted to women.”  
  
Everyone’s mouth dropped.  
  
“I-I’ve come to realize…I’m gay.”


	3. Chapter 2

December 2012.  
  
Three Christmases had passed before there was another holiday worthy of being notable. Savannah had begun dreading Christmas 2012 since early on in the year. All havoc broke out with Mary and Carlos’ brutal divorce. By then, everyone was _long_ over Simon’s coming out; they had accepted him for who he was. Of course, they were all in a state of shock at first.  
  
At first, Lucy had gone on and on about how he couldn’t have picked a worst time to break the news; it was a _holiday_! Holidays were meant to be family-oriented and Simon had made it all about himself. Annie and Eric were both in a state of shock in the beginning; but, surprisingly, they moved on pretty quickly. Every now and again, Savannah would catch them giving Simon a questionable look whenever he laid eyes on another man.  
  
Simon didn’t come for a visit much after he revealed his sexuality, except for the holidays. The Camdens heard Simon had a new boyfriend, who was supposed to be coming along for Christmas.  
  
Savannah’s grandparents still showed slight uneasiness with their son bringing a boyfriend over. However, Matt got on their cases a few times in recent years, pointing out that they would openly invite any _girlfriend_ of their sons into their home; so, what was the difference with Simon?  
  
Of course, Annie and Eric were both in denial of having any sort of _issue_ with Simon bringing home a boyfriend; but it could be read by the expression on their faces when they looked at him.  
  
When it came to other members of the Camden family, Savannah was happy when her Uncle Matt and Aunt Sarah moved back to Glen Oak with their three sons the previous summer.  
  
The children were growing so fast; the youngest, Jacob, was in the terrible twos phase, getting into everything and throwing tantrums until he got his way. Jonah and Jeremiah, who were six and only a year younger than Savannah, liked to annoy their cousin. They would follow Savannah around everywhere, no matter how much she kept trying to avoid them.  
  
Sarah had started her own practice and Matt worked at the Glen Oak Hospital. Jonah, Jeremiah, and Jacob spent most of their days at the Kinkirk residence, where Kevin had volunteered to watch them for Matt and Sarah while they were working.  
  
For Savannah, life just hadn’t been going her way lately. The young girl found herself angry with God, practically hating Him. How could such a gracious power let such horrible things happen to her family? She was supposed to have nine younger siblings by now: a set of triplets and three sets of twins. Her mother, Lucy, has been in a depressed state of mind, especially after the loss of the triplets.  
  
Lucy spent a lot of time to herself these days. More often than not, Savannah would hear crying coming from her parents’ bedroom. She felt bad for her mother; it wasn’t fair that God took away all her babies. In a way, Savannah felt lucky to be alive. From she had overheard, her mother almost lost her first born as well; but here she was, almost eight years later.  
  
In spite of this, Savannah was still angry with God for not allowing her mother to give birth to another child.  
  
However, Savannah’s reason for dreading the Christmas of 2012 did not lie with her mother’s depressed state of mind, her uncle’s new boyfriend, or even those pesky twins. No, she has been dreading this Christmas because of one simple fact: Mary and Carlos. Her eldest aunt had split from her estranged husband in January, shortly after the Christmas holidays.  
  
  
All hell had broken loose when Mary revealed that Jennifer and Emilia were not Carlos’ daughter. She went on to explain that while she was separated from Carlos all those years earlier, she had run off to Florida to be with Robbie Palmer; Jenny and Emi were his daughters.  
  
Drama had destroyed their family. Carlos left Mary, making a run for Puerto Rico and left the three kids behind. He even started to accuse Charlie of not being his son. Charlie was devastated living with his mother. At the age of eight, he knew exactly what was going on and had begun to resent his mother. She was now living with Robbie, since he was the rightful father of the girls.  
  
From what Charlie had told her in their secret conversations over a kid-friendly instant messaging application, Jenny and Emi had fallen into Robbie’s cunningness; they had accepted him as their daddy. Charlie said he never would; Carlos Luis Rivera was his only father.  
  
“Savannah, sweetie, are you ready to go?” Savannah’s mother peeked into her bedroom.  
  
“Yeah, just one minute!” Savannah sighed, putting her iPod on pause. It had been an early Christmas present from her Uncle Ben. He had sent it via airmail and her parents allowed her to open it a day early. Her mother’s “ _he shouldn’t have!_ ” still lingered in Savannah’s mind.  
  
However, Savannah was glad her uncle gave her this gift. All the other kids in her class had Ipods, so why shouldn’t she? With her father’s help, she had already begun to download her favorite songs onto iTunes. Of course, all the lyrics had to pass her mother’s approval.  
  
Savannah shoved the iPod Nano into her small backpack and raced out of the room to meet up with her parents, who were waiting in the small kitchen.  
  
“Do we really have to go, Mom? Why can’t it just be the three of us this year?”  
  
“I know, honey.” Lucy ran a hand through her daughter’s short hair. “Come on, let’s go.”  
  
Savannah looked at her father for support, but he just shrugged and remained silent. She rolled her eyes and walked out the door with her parents following closely behind.  
  
The walk from her home to the parsonage was too short for Savannah’s liking. Before she even got to the back porch, Savannah could hear yelling coming from inside the house. The loud voice sounded like her grandmother, who was probably yelling at Sam. _What else is new?_  
  
Kevin opened the door, allowing his wife and daughter to step into the kitchen first.  
  
“Mom? We’re here!” Lucy called, her voice ringing through the empty kitchen.  
  
“Come in!” Annie hurried down the steps, putting on a smile that looked odd; as if it was painful for her to do so. “Matt and Sarah are on their way. Mary and Robbie are already here.”  
  
Savannah didn’t miss the look exchanged between her parents. Before she had the chance to ask, there were footsteps coming down the stairs. Savannah saw her Aunt Ruthie carrying a curly-haired blonde baby of three months; this was Savannah’s newest cousin, Natasha.  
  
“Aunt Ruthie!” Savannah ran over to her youngest aunt, giving her a hug.”  
  
“Mom, do I really have to eat here?” Sam asked with a hint of irritation in his voice.  
  
“We’ve already discussed this, Sam. Yes, you have to eat here. It’s a holiday, it’s a time to be with family and you’re family, so you’re going to eat here.” Annie said, her voice quiet and calm, but Savannah knew she was trying to keep her temper under control. Her grandmother spoke exactly like Lucy when she was upset with Kevin; but didn’t want to yell because Savannah was in the room.  
  
“This fucking blows!” Sam shouted, smashing a fist on the countertop. Savannah retreated towards her father, who put a protective arm around her shoulder.  
  
“ _What_ did you just say?” Annie snapped, glaring at her youngest child dangerously.  
  
“You heard me, Mom. I hate being here; it gets worse every single year. I wish I could leave this hell hole!” Sam yelled, storming out the door and slamming it shut behind him.  
  
The commotion woke up the infant in Ruthie’s arms, the little girl began crying at the top of her lungs. A split second later, the door opened and Savannah saw her aunt’s husband, Peter, walk in.  
  
“What’s up with him?” Peter pointed a thumb behind him, in the direction Sam had just stormed off in. He kissed his wife and relieved her of their bawling daughter, talking in quiet voices to the infant.  
  
“Nothing,” Ruthie sighed wearily, sitting at a barstool and running a hand through her messy hair.  
  
David hurriedly entered the kitchen a moment later.  
  
“Hey Mom, is this a bad time?”  
  
Annie looked at her son warily.  
  
“What is it, David?”  
  
“Would it be all right if Melinda stays for dinner? Her parents are out and she doesn’t want to be home alone.”  
  
“I don’t see why not.” Annie replied with a sigh, wiping a trickle of sweat dripping from her forehead. Savannah couldn’t help but notice the wrinkles and dark bags around her grandmother’s eyes. Over the last three years, Annie Camden had really begun to show signs of aging.  
  
“Great. Thanks, Mom!” The young teenager ran back up the stairs where his friend was waiting for him on the phone. Meanwhile, Lucy glared at her mother.  
  
“I thought this was a _family_ event.”  
  
Annie gave her third eldest an inquisitive look.  
  
“How many of you and your siblings’ friends have we had over for dinner when you were growing up? We can’t just tell the twins differently all of a sudden when we’ve opened our home up to your friends for many, many, many years.”  
  
Lucy rolled her eyes and her gaze fell on her husband, who shrugged. _As usual_ , Savannah thought.  
  
“So, you said that Mary and Robbie are here?” Kevin looked at Annie and Ruthie.  
  
“Yep. In the living room.” Ruthie sighed, tapping her legs with a hand and made eye contact with her sister. They both seemed to be thinking the same thing: _the dreaded couple_.  
  
It wasn’t too long ago that Savannah’s mother explained to her that Robbie lived at her grandparents’ house for a few years. Before then, he had been dating Mary and everything went wrong between the two of them. For a while, they hated Robbie until he was proclaimed ‘ _homeless_ ’ and the Camdens took him in. After that, everyone liked him; then, one day, he packed up and left for Florida without a word. Nobody heard from him again until many years later.  
  
Now that everyone knew the truth about Jennifer and Emilia’s paternity, the family seemed hesitant about accepting Robbie back into their lives. Technically, however, Carlos and Mary had been divorced at the time so she didn’t exactly _chat_ on Carlos. It was her who had chosen to go crawling back to Carlos. Mary had lied to her husband and her own family for well over six years and counting.  
  
“Where’s Charlie?” Savannah asked her grandmother.  
  
“He’s out on the front steps.” Savannah ran out to see her cousin, the only person she looked forward to seeing this Christmas. However, Charlie didn’t look so happy when Savannah reached him on the front steps; she didn’t miss the scowl on his face.  
  
“Hey, Charlie.” Savannah sat next to her cousin.  
  
Charlie let out a grunt for a greeting.  
  
“He’s here.” The boy said darkly after a couple minutes, and Savannah knew exactly who her cousin was talking about: the man that was the father of Charlie’s sisters and currently with his mother, and the reason Charlie didn’t get to see her own father much anymore.  
  
Yeah, I heard.”  
  
“I hate him,” Charlie spat. Savannah frowned.  
  
“That’s not very nice.” Her mother had always told her that they shouldn’t hate anyone. Savannah herself tried not to hate anyone, but she could see where Charlie was coming from.  
  
“I don’t care. My mom doesn’t even pay attention to me anymore.”  
  
“That’s true, is it?”  
  
Charlie nodded, sighing.  
  
“She’s way too busy with _him_ , or taking care of Emi and Jenny. She doesn’t have time for me now. I only get to see her once a day or something. I see _him_ more often.”  
  
“I’m sorry.” Savannah didn’t know what to say to that. She couldn’t believe her eldest aunt would do that to her only son; but again, she never saw Mary that often and Charlie was usually honest. He would never lie to her, they were best friends.  
  
“Have you told your dad?”  
  
Charlie looked over at her, shaking his head.  
  
“Not yet, but–.” Unfortunately at that moment, whatever Charlie was about to say got interrupted. Their uncle Simon walked up the driveway and he was with a man she and her cousin never met before, but he did look a little familiar to Savannah; but she couldn’t place just _how_ exactly.  
  
“Hi, Uncle Simon!” Savannah stood and Charlie followed.  
  
“Is everyone here?” Simon was grinning widely, and Savannah noted that this was the happiest he had looked in a long time. His hands were locked with the other man’s, similar to how Savannah’s parents held hands in public.  
  
“Almost, Uncle Matt and Aunt Sarah aren’t here yet. They’re still at work.” Savannah replied.  
  
“Oh, all right, then. Come on, let’s go inside; it’s cold out here.” Simon put a hand on Savannah’s shoulder and guided her into the house with Charlie. The guy Savannah didn’t know followed them.  
  
“Who’s that?” Charlie asked once they were inside the warm house.  
  
“That’s what I’m going to tell everyone.” Simon smiled, but Savannah noticed there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. They entered the living room and Simon called out for his mother. Less then five seconds had passed when Annie hurried into the room and greeted her son.  
  
“I thought you were going to call when you got in. I was worrying about you.” Simon’s cheeks flushed.  
  
“Sorry, Mom. There was an accident on the freeway, so we just took a cab instead.”  
  
Peter walked down the steps, now without Natasha.  
  
“She’s sleeping. Let’s see how long that lasts.” Peter let out a sigh. “Ruthie’s sitting with her and Lucy.”  
  
Savannah didn’t see her youngest uncles and Simon must have noticed the same thing.  
  
“Where are David and Sam?” Simon asked as he craned his neck, scoping the house for them.  
  
“Kevin drove David to pick up Melinda and Sam’s around,” Annie informed him with a strained smile.  
  
“Melinda?” Simon raised a brow.   
  
“David’s friend.” Annie and Peter replied at the same time.  
  
“Oh.” Simon laughed shortly. It was just then that Annie noticed the man standing next to her son.  
  
“Hello.” She hesitantly extended her hand and the man accepted, shaking hands with the Camden matriarch. “Why do you look so familiar?” The wrinkles on her aged forehead became prominent as she scrunched her face in confusion.  
  
“Mom, this is–,” Simon began.  
  
“Hey, man!” Another familiar male voice rang out, interrupting Simon’s introduction. It was Robbie and Savannah didn’t miss the scowl on her cousin’s face. Her aunt followed suit, her clothes a little tasseled. Savannah looked at the grownups and saw her grandmother had a disapproving look while Peter was looking away, rubbing his neck awkwardly.  
  
Just then, Savannah saw her mother and youngest aunt walking down the steps.  
  
“I think she should sleep for a couple hours.” Lucy was saying as she descended the final step.  
  
“Oh, God, I sure hope so,” Ruthie said with a hint of tiredness in her voice. She stepped over to her husband, who wrapped an arm around her. It was then that the two women noticed their brother and the newcomer.  
  
“Simon.” Ruthie gave her brother a pat on the back; Simon nodded in greeting.  
  
Lucy, on the other hand, gasped when she saw who the other man was.  
  
“Ronald? Ronald Palmer?” Her blue eyes were as wide as could be with shock.  
  
“Lucy.” The other man spoke quietly.  
  
“You’re–Simon!” Lucy screeched.  
  
“What? Is there something wrong?”  
  
Savannah noticed her uncle’s voice sounded a little funny, like he was in pain.  
  
“I don’t believe this!” Lucy wrinkled her forehead in disgust.  
  
“We just ran into one another, Luce.”  
  
“That’s not exactly what happened,” Robbie argued, a slight chuckle escaping his mouth.  
  
“ _You!_ Shut up!” Lucy snapped. Savannah saw her youngest aunt exchanged worried glances with her husband. She knew Lucy could get loud, and Savannah also knew getting babies to sleep could be difficult. If Lucy began yelling, Natasha would be awake in no time.  
  
“Don’t you dare tell my husband to shut up!” Mary snapped back angrily.  
  
“You have _no_ right to tell me what to do! You come in here acting like everything is perfectly normal! Do you know how much you’ve ruined this family? Nobody wants you here, you’re such a whore!”  
  
Savannah gasped, she knew that was a _very_ bad word.  
  
“Lucy!” Annie gasped, horrified. Robbie glared at Lucy.  
  
“Take that back!” He yelled, wrapping an arm protectively around Mary.  
  
“No! And _you_! Why are you even back here? This is perverse. I always knew there was something messed up with you. Get out, I don’t want you here!”  
  
“Lucy!” Annie cried, and Savannah noticed her grandmother had gone pale.  
  
“No, Mom. It’s fine. I’m not wanted here. I’ll go then, good-bye, everyone!” Mary glared at everyone currently in the room. Savannah noticed nobody was really sad she was threatening to leave.  
  
Except for Charlie.  
  
“I don’t want to go,” he whined, crossing his arms.  
  
“We’re _going_! Robbie, get the girls, _now_. Sorry, Mom, I know you wanted everyone here; but I can’t stay. Not with _her_ here.”  
  
A few minutes later, Robbie returned with Emi and Jenny following closely behind. Robbie carried their luggage, handing Charlie and the girls their own.”  
  
“Great! Let’s go!” Mary opened the door and walked out without looking back, pulling the girls roughly behind her. Robbie looked around the people crowded in the foyer, his eyes dark.  
  
“You will regret this. Come on, Charlie.”  
  
Savannah looked at her cousin sadly and he looked at his family with sad eyes.  
  
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, looking down, and Savannah knew he was saying sorry to her.  
  
And, thus, Charlie was gone with Robbie. Matt, Sarah, and their boys happened to pull in the driveway just as Mary was pulling out. When they entered the parsonage. Matt sighed, removing his jacket. “Sorry we’re late, I had a complicated delivery. Twins.”  
  
“Was that Mary we just passed?” Sarah squinted inquisitively towards the rest of the family. Everyone’s face stared somberly back at them.  
  
“Oh, no.” Matt said quietly. “What happened?”  
  
But before anyone could say a word, _I Gotta Feeling_ by the Black Eyed Peas suddenly began to play; it was Matt’s ringtone. He reached for his mobile in his jacket pocket and his eyes widened as saw the caller identification before looking at the family with frightened eyes.


	4. Chapter 3

December 2019.  
  
Seven years had passed since the Christmas that drove a permanent rift into the family. Savannah was now fourteen, almost fifteen, and still an only child. Her mother had two more miscarriages over the years; one of which that followed that horrible Christmas in 2012. Nobody had any idea that Lucy was even pregnant.  
  
With each miscarriage, Lucy sunk into an even deeper state of depression and, by now, she was no longer the same person Savannah knew a decade earlier. She saw less of her father these days; Kevin was picking up extra shifts at the station. He returned to the Glen Oak Police Department several years earlier and was now detective.  
  
It didn’t really matter much to Savannah because, since starting high school, she was hardly ever home. She was either taking trips with her best friend, at cheerleading practice and football games, or working at her new job at McDonalds. If anyone even asked her, Savannah would say she was better off in foster care because her parents just weren’t her parents anymore.  
  
A week after Mary and Robbie left with the children, the Camden family learnt that Charlie had run away to Puerto Rico to be with his father. Apparently, he stole a buddy pass from his mother’s former co-worker, who had become the family babysitter. When Mary tried to get her son to come back home, he simply said he didn’t want anything to do with her.  
  
For being eight years old, Charlie already knew the difference between right and wrong, and being with his father in Puerto Rico was right. Nobody has heard from him since, and nobody bothered to reach out. Savannah knew her cousin should be fifteen now, sixteen in the spring. The family hadn’t seen Mary either; but they assumed she still lived in Florida with Robbie and their twin daughters.  
  
After the phone call seven years earlier that got Savannah’s uncle acting shady, Matt and Sarah went through numerous fights and arguments that seemed to go on for ages. However, after working through it, they were perfectly fine; or so it seemed. Then, _it_ happened. _It_ was the incident that ended her uncle’s career as a licensed doctor.  
  
It had been just over a year earlier on a rough Thanksgiving night at the hospital. A pregnant patient came in with signs of pre-eclampsia and had to be treated immediately. At first, Matt followed protocol and did all the right things; but, suddenly, the patient began to bleed uncontrollably, had a seizure, and fell into a coma when Matt didn’t obey the chief of surgery’s orders. The pregnant woman died the next day, hours before her extremely premature baby.  
  
Savannah didn’t see much of her uncle after that incident; but she spoke with her aunt Sarah and cousins regularly. She didn’t see Jonah and Jeremiah as much as she had the year before now that she was in high school and they were still in middle school. However, they came to all the high school football games to watch her cheer.  
  
Now that the football season has ended, Savannah began to work on weekends from five in the afternoon to nine in the evening. Because she was under sixteen, she was only able to work a certain number of hours a week. Savannah was looking forward to her sixteenth birthday in a little over a year. Her aunt Sarah had promised her a job at the office, where Savannah would be able to work more hours and be able to spend some quality time with her aunt.  
  
Simon and Ronald moved to the East coast a few years earlier. They currently lived in a high-rise with the daughter they recently adopted from Vietnam, Lena Mae. The only people who led a seemingly normal life were Ruthie and Peter. Unfortunately, the couple moved out of Glen Oak and now resided in Ohio, where Ruthie was a adolescent psychologist and Peter was a teacher. They had another daughter two years earlier, Zoe Lucia.  
  
David and Sam were now grown up. Savannah hadn’t seen much of her youngest uncle lately. Sam was always in trouble and, whenever he was around, Kevin would rush her out of the room quickly. Of course, Savannah was old enough to understand what Sam has done or might have done; she wasn’t as naïve as her parents thought she was.  
  
David had gotten his girlfriend, Melinda, pregnant three years earlier and they had a baby boy who was given up for adoption at birth. They were still together, even though Melinda was still in California and David was going to school in New York.  
  
Savannah’s grandparents lost the house a year over when the parishioners voted to have Chandler Hampton as their minister. Lucy flipped out, but Savannah sort of understood why they voted to have him and not her mother lead Glen Oak’s only Protestant church; Chandler was much saner. So, he moved into the parsonage with his wife, Roxanne, and their four-year-old daughter, Anya.  
  
Right now, Savannah was fiddling her thumbs in her sixth hour US History class. She found herself glancing repeatedly at the clock, waiting for it to strike two. She breathed in and out in time with the _tick tock tick tock_ of the clock. She watched the little hand slowly moving to two and, at last, the shrill bell rang indicating that Christmas break had officially begun.  
  
Everyone packed their books and grabbed their bags, hurrying out the room and chatting excitedly as they pulled out their cell phones. Savannah, however, was slowly putting away her pencil and bookmarked the page she had opened in her textbook.  
  
“Oh, come on!” A voice shouted. Savannah sighed, looking at her best friend.  
  
“Look, I know you aren’t looking forward to Christmas; but think of this, Vana: Next Thursday, you and I are going skiing. Won’t that be fun?”  
  
“That’s a week away, Cate.” Savannah replied dryly. “There is no way in hell I’m going to survive being with my family for a seven days.”  
  
“We have the weekend, Monday, and Tuesday.” Cate reminded her.  
  
Savannah shook her head, swinging her book-bag over her shoulder.  
  
“Forget it, there’s no way my mom will let me get away from the family over the Christmas holidays. Thanks, though.” _Here it was again, that time of year_ , Savannah thought bitterly, _Christmas_. It was yet another holiday where she would be forced to sit with _family_ and act as if everything was all right, when everyone knew it wasn’t.  
  
“Do you think I could come over?” Cate asked as the two left the classroom.  
  
“Is that a really good idea?” Savannah chewed her bottom lip. Of all her friends, only Caitlin knew what her life at home was like and what her mother has become.  
  
“I think it would be good for you to have a friend around. Think about it, all right. I’m free every day except Christmas.” Savannah nodded before walking towards her bus.  
  
Fortunately for her, Savannah wasn’t apart from her best friend for more than an hour. When she had gotten home, Savannah could her hear mother wailing and yelling. She must have been on the phone with someone; but the teenager didn’t bother to find out. Instead, she crept into her room, grabbed her laptop and its charger, and slipped out quietly.  
  
Barely ten minutes later, Savannah was sitting in her best friend’s cheerful, brightly decorated room. She sat cross-legged on the bed and Caitlin had put on music when she first arrived, so the atmosphere was a calming, soothing one; nothing like the awkward tension and silence that Savannah experienced at home. She always walked on eggshells around her mother these days.  
  
Savannah was checking her e-mail as well as the Facebook account she shared with Caitlin. Savannah was not allowed to be on any social networking sites; her mother had banned her from them. Fortunately, thanks to Caitlin, Savannah had managed to find her cousin Jeremiah online. In turn, Jonah and Jacob had sent friend requests, which she accepted. She also had her aunts Ruthie and Sarah on her account as well.  
  
Neither of her aunts or cousins let it slip that Savannah was on Facebook.  
  
_You have two new messages_ , the page alerted her when she signed in. She clicked the bubble with the lightening in the middle, scrolling down to see what the messages were.  
  
The most recent message was from Jonah, sent a couple hours earlier.  
  
“ _Hey, Vana sup? Somethins goin’ on here at home…don’t wanna talk about it. So what you doin’ for Christmas? You gonna be around?_ ” The message from Jonah read.  
  
Savannah sighed, typing a message to her cousin.  
  
“ _Jo, is it your dad? Well, I was going to go skiing with Caitlin and her family the day after Christmas and won’t be back until after New Years, but I don’t know if Mom will let me go._ ” Savannah replied, then going back several pages to look at the other message she hadn’t read; it was from her aunt Ruthie.  
  
After sending the message, Savannah went several pages back to look at the other new message; it was from her aunt Ruthie.  
  
“ _Hello, Savannah. It’s almost that time of the year again. How are you doing? Peter and I will not be coming to Glen Oak this year; it’s too hectic and we don’t want our girls to have to go through the same thing you did when you were little. It would be unfair to make them sit through that mess. I am so sorry; I know how much you were looking forward to seeing me.  
  
However, I do have something that will hopefully make your Christmas a bit better. Do you remember your cousin Charlie Rivera? He wrote to me a couple weeks ago and I pointed him to your Facebook page. Unfortunately, he was unable to find you or send you a request. If you want, you could add him._ ”  
  
Savannah then highlighted and copied the link her aunt provided before typing out a reply.  
  
“ _I can’t believe you, Peter, and the girls won’t be here! This Christmas is going to totally suck without you guys here! Well, at least on Thursday I am going skiing with Caitlin; but I don’t know how the hell I’m going to get through the next five days! Thanks for giving me Charlie’s page; I’ll send him a message.  
  
I really hope you’ll reconsider coming here, as much as you don’t want to. Have a happy Christmas, please give Nat and Zoe a hug from me. Love you!_ ”  
  
Savannah sent the message and pasted the clipboard’s content into the web address bar.  
  
A short minute later, the page loaded. The text in the headline read “Charlie Rivera” and the picture showed a tall, well-built, lightly tanned teenager with green eyes and curly golden-blond hair.  
  
“Oh, my God!” Caitlin gasped. “ _That_ ’s your cousin?”  
  
“Apparently so,” Savannah replied, still in shock.  
  
“He is _gorgeous_.” Caitlin sighed, and the girls sat in silence. After a moment, Caitlin poked Savannah roughly on the shoulder.  
  
“Well, aren’t you going to send him a request?”  
  
Savannah jumped and shook her head once.  
  
“Yeah, of course.” She feigned annoyance and sent a friend request. Immediately after doing so, Savannah logged out of her Facebook account as Caitlin put on the television and channel-surfed for a few minutes before switching the station to RTV, a television network once called “MTV”–or _Music Television_. It was changed to “RTV” in 2014; the _R_ stood for _Reality_.  
  
The opening credits for a show called _Twelve and Pregnant_ was playing.  
  
“This show has _got_ to be a joke,” Caitlin said, putting down the remote and leaned the chair back.  
  
“Seriously. Are these people for real? Who gets pregnant when they’re twelve years old? Also, who the hell follows these kids­­­–because they're still _kids_ –around all day long? What’s so fascinating?”  
  
“It’s disgusting; but it’s like watching a train wreck.”  
  
“Yeah, totally.” Savannah nodded in agreement. It was especially unfortunate how these days, girls were getting pregnant so young. There was nothing good about being a teen parent, and Savannah got to see that first hand herself when her uncle David got his girlfriend pregnant four years earlier.  
  
David and Melinda had been sixteen at the time and both sophomores in high school. Since the day Melinda came over to the house announcing that she was expecting a baby with her boyfriend, Savannah’s grandparents haven’t been able to look at David the same way again.  
  
The rest of the school year was different for David and Melinda; David had been placed on restriction until he turned eighteen two Februarys earlier. There weren’t any after-school activities for either one of them, and Savannah heard that Melinda lost some of her friends.  
  
A short time after being forced to change schools, Melinda’s parents got divorced and when she gave birth, she was forced to give her son up for adoption.  
  
“It would only be fair for the child,” Melinda’s parents had told them and Savannah could understand why. Savannah also agreed that the controversy surrounding her uncle and his girlfriend was like a train wreck: you can’t help but talk about it or tune in. When Melinda had been pregnant, Savannah would go against her parents’ request to leave it be and continued to ask questions about the pregnancy every opportunity she got.  
  
An alert popped up notifying Savannah of a new email message. She opened her laptop back up and checked her account.  
  
_Charlie Rivera has accepted your friend request! Send him a message._ The message read. Savannah logged into her Facebook account and profile-stalked her cousin. _Profile stalk_ was a term Caitlin had taught her; when someone accepted your friend request or you accepted a friend request, it was the norm to check out their profile and pictures.  
  
A little red marker popped up next to the message icon. Savannah saw it was from Charlie.  
  
“ _Hey, Savannah_ ,” the message began. “ _It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I know you probably hate me right now and I would totally understand if you do. My dad and I have been living with my aunt and uncle in New York. We were in Puerto Rico, but had to relocate two years ago. It’s wonderful here, my aunt owns the family restaurant and my dad manages it, so I get a lot of free meals for myself and my friends.  
  
But it isn’t the same as the family back in California. I miss you guys, especially Grandma Annie and you. I spoke with Aunt Ruthie a couple times in the past month or so; she doesn’t say much about the family unless it’s about her, Peter, and their kids. How are things with you? Do you have any siblings yet? Thinking about flying out to the West Coast for a visit over Christmas. Where are you guys now?_ ”  
  
Savannah read over the message a couple times before composing a reply.  
  
“ _Hey, it certainly has been a while! No, I completely understand that you had to leave. I was really hurt that you could just take off and leave me like that. We’re still in Glen Oak, but Grandma and Grandpa had to move. I can’t even possibly begin to explain that and everything else over Facebook. I would love it if you came to Glen Oak! But please take my word for it: you don’t want to stay at my house. Grandma and Grandpa’s house is too small and you wouldn’t want to be there either._ ”  
  
Savannah sent the message and turned back to the TV program, which was now showing the preteen mother-to-be shopping for baby supplies. She had two young giggling friends with her.  
  
“Seriously, these people are _happy_ she’s pregnant?” Savannah couldn’t believe this show. When Melinda had been pregnant, she would hear ‘ _Reverend’s son’s girlfriend is a whore_ ’ multiple times.  
  
“No, you know. I think these people are just on some kind of crack.”  
  
There was a notification from Facebook of a new message. Savannah saw Charlie had replied.  
  
“ _Hey. Man, that sounds really rough. How do you manage? Here is my cell, you can call it anytime._ ”  
  
Savannah pulled out her cell phone and added the number to her contacts.  
  
“ _Yeah, but I have an amazing best friend and I barely spend any time at home; I try to spend as little time as possible around my family. Actually, I’m at my best friend’s house right now and she’s reading over this. She thinks you’re hot._ ”  
  
Caitlin gasped and slapped Savannah on the shoulder.  
  
“You _wouldn’t_!”  
  
Savannah laughed, deleting the last two sentences before continuing to type.  
  
“ _So, yeah, I will give you a call when I can. I just added you to my contacts_.” Savannah finished the message and pressed _send_ , looking down at her cell phone.  
  
Two days passed and Savannah hadn’t heard from Charlie since they first communicated on Facebook; but, then again, she hadn’t been to Caitlin’s house or gotten on Facebook. Savannah realized she hadn’t given Charlie her phone number. _Why hadn’t she_? That question persisted in her mind. There was something about giving her number or any personal information out over the Internet felt wrong to her. Heck, for all she knew, she hadn’t really spoken to her cousin.  
  
On the other hand, however, Charlie said he had been in contact with their Aunt Ruthie. Savannah trusted her aunt’s good judgment; but, _still_ , it was the Internet. “No good can come out of communicating with complete strangers you can’t see,” her mother would say. Savannah couldn’t help but be a little paranoid; after all, she _was_ Lucy Kinkirk’s daughter.  
  
She shuddered a bit at the thought of her mother finding out she was talking to “ _Charlie_ ” online.  
  
Right now, Savannah’s shift had just ended and she was sitting near the bench waiting for her father to come pick her up. Time and time again, Savannah insisted on taking the bus; but her parents told her that it was too dangerous. So, her parents would pick her up after each shift at nine o’clock.  
  
Savannah pulled out her cell phone and noted the time: it was only eight fifty-five. The manager had let her go a few minutes early. Savannah sighed, rolling her eyes; he tended to do that often and she absolutely hated it. It meant that she had to stand outside in the cool breeze and _wait_ for a ride. This was another reason Savannah couldn’t wait to turn sixteen: she could have her driver’s license. Unfortunately, that was still more than a year away.  
  
A little red dot appeared in the bottom row of icons on her phone, indicating that she had a new text message. _Charlie_? She wondered briefly, but then realized it couldn’t have been him. He didn’t have her phone number. Feeling anxious, Savannah pulled up her text messages and saw the new message was from her father.  
  
“ _Savannah, it’s Dad. There’s been a robbery on the south side of town and I have to stay patrolling. Don’t tell your mother but I am giving you permission to take the bus. It leaves on 5 th street around 9:15 PM. GO STRAIGHT HOME! If you need me, call me. Love you, sweetie. –Dad_”  
  
Savannah’s eyes widened in surprise; she had permission to ride the bus by _herself_. Immediately, she began to fumble for change in her pocket as she walked towards 5 th Street. It was just around the corner from McDonalds, so she knew where she was going.  
  
It was dark outside and, with it the middle of December, there was also a chilly breeze. Savannah pulled her arms deeper in her jacket, still holding her cell phone. There was a bench near the sign that read _5 th Street Bus Stop_. She made a run for the bench, which was illuminated by a dim light.  
  
As she sat there, she looked at her cell phone and let out a sigh, thinking. Moments later, she found herself scrolling through her contacts. Immediately after _Caitlin_ , she saw his name: _Charlie_. Her eyes focused on the bright screen of her cell phone, her thumb slowly moved towards the green _Talk_ button. She let out a deep sigh and pressed the screen.  
  
Her face felt as if it were on fire. She brought the phone up to her ear, its ringing deafening. Her heart stopped when a deep voice answered with a “ _Hello_?”  
  
Savannah felt as she had just been burnt.  
  
“Hello?” The voice spoke again.  
  
“H- Hello,” she whispered. “Charlie?”  
  
“Yeah, this is he.”  
  
“It’s Savannah,” she finally choked out.  
  
“Oh, hey, Savannah! I’ve been waiting for your call. What took you so long?” She blushed.  
  
“I’ve had to work and didn’t have a lot of time. Sorry, I meant to call sooner.” She told him  
  
“It’s okay,” Savannah could hear him chuckle a little.  
  
“So, what were you saying about coming to Glen Oak?” She asked, trying to strike up a conversation. Somehow, she felt awkward speaking to the cousin she hadn’t seen or heard from in seven years.  
  
“It’s funny you ask. I just flew in, actually.”  
  
Savannah’s heart stopped as a loud honk sounded. She looked up to see a big, blue city bus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect the unexpected.


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Caution: Out of Character behavior in this and future chapters, excluding Savannah and Charlie as we don't know them well.

**Saturday, December 21 st 2019**  
  
The bus’ door swung open with a loud creak.  
  
“Miss, you coming?” The heavy-set driver called towards her.  
  
Savannah nodded as she headed over to the bus, her hand still gripping onto the phone pressed against her ear. She was in complete shock. _He’s in Glen Oak! Charlie is in Glen Oak! How did he get here? Did his father know where he was?_  
  
So many questions buzzed inside Savannah’s head.  
  
“Savannah?” Charlie’s voice rung through the night air, breaking the awkward silence.  
  
“Y- you’re at the airport?” She whispered nervously into her phone as she stepped onto the bus.  
  
“Yeah, I sure am! My flight just got in, I’d say about five minutes ago.”  
  
Her eyes widened. _He was really here!_  
  
“Stay put, I’m on my way.” Savannah hung up, fumbling for four quarters to put in the dispenser, paying for her fare. She took the first seat behind the driver, the bus was literally empty unlike the school bus she used to ride before partaking in after school activities. Since the football season began, Caitlin’s mother has been driving her home from practice and school.  
  
“What about your parents? Don’t worry about me, Savannah. I’ll be fine, I can get a hotel room. Call me tomorrow, all right? It’s late, you should really go home.”  
  
_He’ll get a hotel room to himself at fifteen?_ Savannah wondered, her jaw dropping. _How on Earth could a fifteen year old pay for a hotel room by himself?_  
  
“No,” Savannah argued. “I’m coming. I’ll be there in about ten minutes. Meet me outside, okay?”  
  
She could hear him sighing.  
  
“All right, then. As much as I look forward to seeing you, I don’t want you getting into any trouble.”  
  
“Yeah, whatever. They probably won’t even notice I’m missing,” Savannah lied. She knew her parents would, especially her mother. Savannah shut her eyes; she could easily imagine her crazy mother screaming, crying, and going on about Savannah not coming home. She was Lucy Kinkirk’s only child; but it didn’t matter to Savannah right now. It had been far too long since she last saw Charlie; she was not going to miss out on this opportunity to see her cousin.  
  
“Well, I’ll see you soon, then.” Savannah hung up and noticed the bus driver looking at her through his mirror with a peculiar look.  
  
“You’re Detective Kinkirk’s daughter. You ain’t running away, are you?”  
  
“I’m going to pick up my cousin at the airport. My parents told me to get him after I was done with work.” Savannah had a feeling this might be just the beginning of a strain of lies.  
  
“A’ight.” The bus driver replied with a raise of his eyebrows. Savannah had a feeling the man didn’t believed her, and she only hoped word wouldn’t get back to her father. Fortunately for her, Savannah wasn’t questioned any further for the rest of the ride to the airport. When the bus pulled up to the curb, Savannah looked at her watch and saw that it was 9:20 PM.  
  
She had just enough time to get Charlie and figure out what to do before anyone began to freak out.  
  
“Have a good night.” The driver nodded once as Savannah stood and got off the bus. She looked at her cell phone and saw that she had a new text message from Charlie. It read: _I’m here, waiting_. As she approached the benches near the airport’s sliding glass doors, she decided to call Caitlin.  
  
“Hey, what’s up?” Savannah could hear music playing in the background.  
  
“Caitlin, I’m on my way to your house. Remember my cousin, Charlie. He’s here, in Glen Oak.”  
  
“What? Oh, my God. So, why are you coming here, then?” Of course, she just _had_ to ask.  
  
“I haven’t really figured it out yet. I’m going to bring him to your house, and we’ll go from there.”  
  
“So, you’re in a car by yourself with a guy who claims he’s your cousin?”  
  
“No, I’m at the airport right now. I see him. I have to go.”  
  
“All right,” Caitlin sighed. “See you soon.”  
  
“Thanks.” Savannah hung up and placed her phone in her coat pocket. She looked at the crowd entering and exiting the airport; but she didn’t have to look for too long before she saw Charlie. He was making his way to her with his hands deep in his pockets and feet shuffling on the pavement. There was a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.  
  
“Hey,” Charlie said once they came face to face with one another.  
  
Savannah’s heart thudded in her chest.  
  
“Hey. So.” Savannah sighed. She _really_ didn’t know what she was going to do with Charlie.  
  
“So, what now? I’m not exactly ready to see the family.”  
  
“O- of course.” Savannah swallowed, her throat suddenly felt dry. “We’re going to go to my friend Caitlin’s house. I have to be there before my parents begin to freak out and I should be halfway home right about now. So, yeah, the first person they’re going to call is Caitlin.” Savannah rambled.  
  
“We can catch up tomorrow, really. I don’t want you getting into any trouble with your parents.”  
  
“No, don’t worry about it. Come on, let’s go.” The two went back to the curbside pickup, where Savannah hailed a waiting taxicab. The driver pulled up and helped Charlie with his duffel bag.  
  
_How are we going to pay for this?_ Savannah suddenly wondered as she and Charlie got into the back seat. The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind until now. She patted her pockets, realizing she had used up her only change on the bus ride to the airport. Savannah knew that cab fares were not cheap in Glen Oak like they were in New York. Even though she had only been four when she last visited the big city, she could remember her mother commenting on how cheap the cab fare was in New York.  
  
“You _do_ realize I can’t stay at your friend’s house, right?” Charlie whispered in her ear. Savannah nodded once. She knew he wouldn’t be able to, Caitlin’s mother would never believe any lies she or Caitlin concocted regarding Charlie. However, if Savannah were at Caitlin’s house, her parents would be less suspicious when they called to find out where their only child was.  
  
It wouldn’t have been the first time Savannah had gone to Caitlin’s without asking.  
  
When the cab stopped outside Caitlin’s house, Charlie pulled out two crisp twenty-dollar bills and handed them to the cab driver. Savannah’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped in surprise. _Where did he get that money?_ She wondered, but not for too long. She was just relieved the driver had been paid.  
  
Caitlin was already waiting for them on her front steps when Savannah and Charlie exited the cab. When she saw them, Caitlin stood and hurried over to them; but she stopped short when she saw Charlie. Her eyes widened, she gulped loudly, and her eyes moved from his face to his toes.  
  
Savannah huffed, placing her hands on her hips.  
  
“Hey, Caitlin.”  
  
Caitlin shook her head to clear whatever thoughts she was having about Charlie, thoughts that Savannah did not care to know about.  
  
“Savannah!” Caitlin turned to her best friend. “What the hell is going on? Your mother just called asking for you, I had to tell her you were here and was planning on spending the night. She wanted me to get you on the phone, but I told her you were in the bathroom getting ready for bed. You have to call her _immediately_!” Caitlin spoke quickly, all in one breath.  
  
“Fine,” Savannah sighed. “I’ll call my mom.”  
  
“Savannah Georgia Kinkirk!” Lucy’s shrill voice came through the line when Savannah called two minutes later. “What on _Earth_ do you _think_ you’re _doing_ taking off on your own at this time of night?”  
  
“I just came over to Caitlin’s, I do it all the time, Mom. I’m fine, relax.” Savannah cringed when she heard a loud wail, a wail loud enough she had to hold the phone away from her ear.  
  
“ _Relax_?” Lucy shrieked. “ _How_ can I _relax_ not knowing _where_ my daughter, my _only child_ is at nine thirty at night! And what does Caitlin’s mother have to say about you coming over at this ungodly hour.”  
  
“She’s fine with it.” Savannah hadn’t actually spoken to Caitlin’s mother yet, but she knew the woman would be perfectly fine with her daughter’s closest friend spending the night unexpectedly. “Mom, I’ll be home in the morning.”  
  
“ _Excuse me_?” Her mother sounded hysterical. “I don’t think so! I’m sending your father over there _right now_ , young lady.”  
  
Savannah rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh. _He did tell me to go straight home_. She shuddered at the thought of what her father might say.  
  
“Mom, there’s really no need to. I’ll be home first thing tomorrow, I promise!” She pleaded.  
  
“I can’t believe you would do this to me the weekend before Christmas!”  
  
“I’m not doing anything, I’m just hanging out with my best friend. I promise, I’ll be back!”  
  
“I need you back now.” Savannah could hear her mother sniffling. “Your father is working all night.”  
  
“You’ll be fine, Mom,” Savannah said without thinking. It was too late to take it back and she winced when Lucy let out a loud wail. Caitlin and Charlie raised their brows in surprise at the sound.  
  
“Savannah Kinkirk,” Lucy screeched. “How _dare_ you say that to your own _mother_? Fine,” Lucy’s voice changed to a deadly whisper. “You can stay at Caitlin’s tonight; but when you get home in the morning, we are going to have a _long_ talk about this and you can say goodbye to that ski trip!”  
  
Savannah winced at the loud slam on the other end of the line and her phone beeped.  
  
“I’m screwed.” Savannah turned to Caitlin and Charlie with a sigh.  
  
“You know, I am just going to spend the night at a hotel. Don’t worry about me, Savannah. I can take care of myself. I’ll be in touch. Nice meeting you, Caitlin.” Charlie then excused himself to call for a taxi to take him to the Glen Oak Inn. Again, it made Savannah wonder how Charlie could afford it; but she couldn’t be bothered to ask him. His father must have been rich.  
  
Once Charlie was gone, Savannah and Caitlin went inside to change; Savannah borrowing a pair of pajamas from Caitlin’s younger sister. They spoke for a couple minutes before shutting off the lights.  
  
The next morning, Kevin arrived at promptly seven o’clock to pick up Savannah.  
  
“You’re mother is really upset,” he informed her as he drove down the street.  
  
“I know, Dad.” Savannah sighed.  
  
“You know how she gets this time of year, Savannah. You should have listened to me last night.”  
  
“Mhm.” Savannah was no longer listening to her father. She knew she had to get away from her mother, knew what she would face once she got home and, when she did, there was no way she was going to stay there for the next four days.  
  
Savannah’s guess could not have been any more accurate. As soon as she stepped through the front door, she was bombarded by Lucy’s hysterical screams and tears.  
  
“How _dare_ you think you could do this to us, Savannah? _What_ were you _thinking_? No, you _weren’t_!”  
  
“I’m sorry, Mom; it was last minute! I always go over to Caitlin’s, so what is the big deal?”  
  
“The big deal?” Lucy shrieked, her eyes bulging out; Savannah took a few steps backwards until she hit the kitchen counter. “The _big deal_ is that there was a crime committed a few blocks away from where you work, and you just hop on a bus instead to go to your friend’s?”  
  
“But nothing happened. I’m fine! I can take care of myself, Mom.”  
  
“You are my only child and just fourteen years old. _Fourteen_ , Savannah! You should _not_ be walking outside that late at night. You could have been abducted and sold to one of those underground sex rings or became a drug mule for those illegal Mexicans!” Lucy melted into another fit of hysterics.  
  
_Wow._ Savannah thought with a sigh.  
  
“I’ll be fifteen next month, Mom. I’ve told you again and again, I’m fine!” Savannah protested. She didn’t see what the big deal was. There was no harm done and her parents needed to realize she wasn’t a child anymore.  
  
Lucy groaned in frustration, tears streaming down her round, red face.  
  
“You’re grounded until further notice.” Lucy’s voice was suddenly even and it made Savannah uneasy.  
  
Savannah’s eyes widened in surprise.  
  
“ _What_? That’s not fair!”  
  
“I have to say, Savannah, I think it’s perfectly fair. Room, _now_.”  
  
The teenager crossed her arms defiantly.  
  
“You have _got_ to be kidding me, Mom!”  
  
Lucy looked over at her husband and rolled her eyes when he didn’t say anything.  
  
“Kevin!” She snapped. “Say something!”  
  
“I would listen to your mother, Savannah.” Kevin gave his only daughter a stern look. Savannah huffed; he always let Lucy walk all over him. How the hell he coped with that crazy woman was something Savannah would never understand.  
  
“Whatever!” She shouted, storming off to her room and slamming the door shut behind her.  
  
Savannah couldn’t believe this; she _hated_ the Christmas holidays with each passing year and this one was shaping up to be the worst ever. The day slowly passed by; she refused to leave her room for lunch or dinner, she wasn’t hungry and she didn’t want to see her mother or father.  
  
Shortly before ten that night, the door opened for the first time in hours. Savannah was still wide awake, unable to sleep and still seething over her cruel and unnecessary punishment.  
  
“Savannah,” Kevin spoke quietly. Savannah glanced over at her father and looked at him silently.  
  
“Your mother wishes to deadbolt the door shut. Now, I don’t exactly agree with her, Savannah; but this is what she wants and what I will be doing tonight. I’ll unlock the door in the morning.”  
  
Savannah jumped up from her desk chair and approached her father.  
  
“ _What_? You have _got_ to be kidding me, Dad! _Deadbolt_ the door?”  
  
Kevin nodded.  
  
“I’m afraid so. Lucy doesn’t trust you, Savannah. Night, sweetie.” His voice sounded loving and, yet, it was laced with some sort of irony. _He acts like there’s nothing wrong with this_!  
  
With that, Kevin left the room and Savannah could hear a clanking following by a buckling outside her door. She threw her pillows and screamed in frustration.  
  
_This is beyond ridiculous_ , she thought angrily. She did not need to be locked up in her bedroom all night. What the hell was the matter with her mother? Savannah understood Lucy has had a rough time with children before getting rejected by the parishoners in town, and so on; but that gave her _no_ right to be doing this! Savannah was just like any other teenager; hell most of them acted worse. It was not like she went out and got drunk or stoned, or enjoyed partying or had sex with random guys.  
  
After a while, Savannah suddenly realized that her windows weren’t bolted shut. She hurriedly grabbed her bags, which had never been unpacked. Savannah didn’t know where she was going to go, but she knew she had to get the hell away. She wouldn’t be able to stay with Caitlin again.  
  
She pulled out her cell phone and began scrolling through her contacts, and stopped at _Charlie Rivera_.  
  
“ _Charlie,”_ Savannah began typing her message. _“Something happened! I need to get out of here, please._ ”  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Savannah got out of the cab and Charlie stood by the door, waiting for her. He pulled out a crisp twenty dollar bill and paid the driver. Savannah couldn’t be bothered to question how he had that much money, she was just glad to be away from her psychotic mother.  
  
“Let’s go.” Charlie took her duffel bag and put an arm over her shoulder, guiding her inside.  
  
“Thanks,” Savannah sighed as she fell into her cousin’s comforting arms.


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed something in this chapter to make it less in-your-face.

Our Damnation Revamp – Chapter 5  
  
**Sunday, December 22 nd 2019**  
  
An hour later, Savannah and Charlie sat on the couch, watching a late night movie. At least, Savannah seemed to have been paying attention; Charlie, on the other hand, was beginning to freak out. So much had evolved since he withdrew a large chunk of his college fund to come to Glen Oak. His father, Carlos, would come home from Miami the next morning and learn his son didn’t go skiing in Vermont. He would then call his mother, who now lived in Florida and was married to another man.  
  
Now, Charlie was at a four-star hotel on the other side of the country with unexpected company: his cousin, Savannah. The same cousin he had left seven years earlier without an explanation as to where he was going. He knew she probably understood why he left, but didn’t understand how he could just up and leave like that, and especially at a young age.  
  
Charlie regretted never getting the chance to tell Savannah what his plans were that Christmas, barely a week before he ran away to live with his father in Puerto Rico. Now, years later, he returned to find her like this and it only made him feel worse.  
  
Coming to Glen Oak had never been part of his original plan; he was going with his friends to Vermont the day after school let out for the holidays, less than forty eight hours earlier. He was glad he changed his plans at the last minute, judging from the state Savannah had been in. It all started with him adding his aunt Ruthie on Facebook. He had been surfing the social media platform one day a month earlier and decided to do an impromptu search for his Camden relatives.  
  
The first name he had typed in was: _Savannah Kinkirk_. His heart dropped with disappointment when _No Results_ came up. Almost right away, he remembered his Aunt Ruthie, his mother’s sister. Charlie couldn’t remember the last name of her husband, the name she most likely took, so he typed in _Ruthie Camden_ instead and his aunt appeared in the search results as _Ruthie Petrowski (Camden)_.  
  
Although seven years had passed, Charlie still recognized his aunt’s dark brown eyes from that last time he’d been in Glen Oak, when his mother’s new husband dragged him away from his family following a daunting threat. Courageously, Charlie sent his long-lost aunt a friend request.  
  
A couple weeks went by before Charlie received a response from Ruthie. He could remember the message his aunt had sent him before accepting his friend request.  
  
“ _Charlie?_ ” The message began. “ _Are you really Charles Miguel Rivera? It has been so long! Gosh, we never thought we would hear from you again. I hope things are well with you. Are you still in Puerto Rico? I haven’t spoken to your mother in years either. We should definitely catch up sometimes. Write back, all right? I’m sorry for taking so long to respond to your friend request; I have been very busy. I work part-time at a doctor’s office and have two young children now. I promise I will write back quickly now that I’m on a week’s vacation for the holidays. Love, Aunt Ruthie._ ”  
  
Charlie began to compose a message, chills rushing through his spine as his finger froze over the keyboard. At first, he had no idea what to say to the aunt he hadn’t seen or spoken to in years. He could not believe he was doing this; connecting with long-lost relatives over the Internet.  
  
He eventually composed a reply to his aunt.  
  
“ _Yeah, it’s really me. I go by Charlie still. I’m now fifteen, will turn sixteen in May. My dad and I moved to New York a few years ago, we live with my aunt, Dad’s sister, and uncle in the Bronx. I just thought maybe I’d try to connect with my mother’s family; although, I don’t want to talk to her and please don’t try to contact her. Thank you for understanding.  
  
So, how’s your family? Wasn’t your daughter really young the last time I saw you? What was her name again? How about my other uncle? Matt, I think it was. And how about the gay one? Geez, my mother’s family is huge, it’s hard to keep track of everyone!  
  
I tried searching for my cousin, Savannah, but I couldn’t find her. Does she have Facebook? I guess she doesn’t. I’d really like to get back in touch with her, I feel bad for just abandoning her like I did._ ”  
  
Charlie received a response from his aunt just an hour later.  
  
“ _I’m glad you’re doing okay and it’s great to hear from you again! Naturally, I had no idea you were back in New York. Yes, Savannah is your cousin and I’m sure she would love to hear from you too. She does have Facebook, but Lucy doesn’t allow her on this site; so Savannah has her profile hidden from search results. I’ll give her the message and let her add you, okay?  
  
Yeah, our family is quite big, so I completely understand. It has been far too long. Natasha—we call her Taz for short—is now seven and in the second grade. She’s incredibly smart for her age. Two years ago, we had another girl. Her name is Zoe and she’s going terrible two’s right now. Ah! Peter and I live in Ohio with the girls now. Everything with the family got far too hectic for us and I didn’t want my girls being brought up around any of that.  
  
Simon and his boyfriend, Ron, are living on the East Coast now with the daughter they’ve adopted from Vietnam, Lena. The last I heard, Matt and Sarah aren’t doing too well. Their twins, Jonah and Jeremiah, are now thirteen. Jacob, the youngest, is nine. Matt lost his job at the hospital last year, but I would rather not get into too much detail about that.  
  
Lucy, your other aunt, Savannah’s mom, is a complete wreck. She lost her position as the minister of the Glen Oak Community Church to Chandler Hampton, a guy that used to work with my dad. Kevin, my sister’s husband, is back with the police department and is hardly around according to Savannah. I’ll let her fill you in if she wants to.  
  
I hope to talk to you again soon! Much love, Aunt Ruthie._ ”  
  
Charlie’s heart had thudded with nerves. _Poor Savannah_ , he remembered thinking. Things did not sound good and he suddenly felt _glad_ to have grown up away from all that drama. Still, he couldn’t help but feel bad for his cousin. He should’ve been there to support her. He should have tried harder.  
  
He had been packing his duffel bag the next day when Facebook alerted him of a new friend request.  
  
_Savannah Kinkirk_ , Charlie’s eyes moved across the screen. He grinned widely and abandoned his bag, eager to get back in touch with the cousin he had abandoned many years earlier.  
  
He recalled one of the first messages he received from Savannah. Something about them felt wrong.  
  
_You don’t want to stay at my house_ , she wrote.  
  
_Why not?_ He wondered, knowing something had to be terribly wrong at home.  
  
_I barely spend any time at home; I try to spend as little time as possible around my family_ , she told him.  
  
Something was _definitely_ wrong, then; but Charlie couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.  
  
When Savannah didn’t call or text him over the next day and half, Charlie began to worry. Unfortunately, Savannah had not given him her phone number; so he was unable to call her. The Kinkirks were unlisted, so Charlie couldn’t find their number anywhere online. He had thought about asking Ruthie for more information on Savannah’s home life; but it would sound like he was prying. After all, it was the Internet; you can never be too sure about who you’re communicating with.  
  
In the meantime, Charlie had attempted to push these worrying thoughts to the back of his mind, instead focusing on his final few days of school and the trip to Vermont. However, when Saturday morning arrived, Charlie realized he hadn’t heard from Savannah in almost two days. He decided desperate times called for desperate measures and quickly texted one of the friends he was planning on going skiing with, claiming he had a family emergency before booking a one-way flight to L.A.  
  
It was an hour after he picked up a tearful Savannah, who had stopped crying by now.  
  
Savannah suddenly let out a loud sigh, slapping her legs and standing up.  
  
“What’s wrong?” Charlie shut off the television and stood.  
  
“Nothing.” She yawned and stretched her arms over her head. “I’m just really tired.”  
  
Charlie looked at his watch and saw that it was close to midnight.  
  
“Come on, let’s get you to bed.” Charlie opened the bedroom door, Savannah following closely behind.  
  
“There’s only one bed in here.”  
  
“Right.” Charlie scratched his neck. “Well, I can sleep on the couch.”  
  
“Are you sure?” Her bright blue eyes looked up at him.  
  
“Yeah, I’m sure. Don’t worry about it.”  
  
“Thanks.” Savannah smiled as she grabbed her pajamas. While she was in the bathroom changing, Charlie pulled out some extra linens from the closet. After he made sure Savannah was settled in bed, he made himself comfortable on the couch and fell asleep.  
  
Charlie woke early the next morning and saw he had one new text message from his father.  
  
“ _Charlie, how are you enjoying VT? Wanted to let you know that I won’t be home until late tonight. Manager had a family emergency, have to wait until the assistant manager gets back._ ” The message read. Charlie sighed, knowing that he had until that night before anyone noted he was missing, and his friends would be back from Vermont in just a few hours. His aunt, uncle, and cousins didn’t realize Charlie never joined his friends on the trip.  
  
Charlie began to wonder what would happen. He could imagine the scenario playing out something like this: his father would ask the friends Charlie was supposed to go skiing with, and they would fess up that he never joined them. Then, Carlos would go to his sister and brother-in-law, who’d say they thought he had gone on the trip. All of Charlie’s family in New York would say they hadn’t seen him since Thanksgiving four weeks earlier. His friends would say they last saw him on Friday at school.  
  
“ _Hi dad, doing good. See you tomorrow night._ ” Charlie typed and pressed the ‘send’ button on his phone. He stepped into the kitchen to grab a piece of fruit. Even though it was still nighttime in California, it was already past seven in the morning on the East coast.  
  
He was scrolling through Facebook when the bedroom door opened fifteen minutes later.  
  
“What are you doing up so early?” Savannah asked, rubbing her eyes. The clock in the lower right corner of Charlie’s laptop read 7:38 AM, making it 4:38 AM in California.  
  
“I’m sorry, Savannah. Did I wake you? It’s later in New York, you can go back to bed.”  
  
Savannah shook her head, sitting at the only other available seat at the table.  
  
“I have to get back home.” Savannah sighed. “My dad will be waking up soon.”  
  
“Okay, and?” Charlie pressed on, confused.  
  
“Well,” Savannah let out a humorless laugh. “If I don’t go now, you’ll be seeing my face on the six o’clock news.”  
  
Charlie raised a brow and let out a short, disbelieving laugh. When Savannah didn’t smile or indicate it had been a joke, his grin fell and mouth opened in shock.  
  
“Are you serious?”  
  
“Yeah. They freak out over the smallest things.” Savannah bit her lips nervously. Charlie could tell she was leaving something out and was trying her best to not let it slip.  
  
“Is there more?” Charlie was afraid to know the answer.  
  
“Yeah, but it’s not that important.” Savannah shrugged, returning to the bedroom. Charlie remained silent for a couple seconds before following her.  
  
“I can’t let you go.” Charlie leaned against the frame of the door, his arms crossed.  
  
Savannah turned and looked at him in surprise.  
  
“What?”  
  
“I can’t let you go, Savannah?”  
  
“ _Excuse me_?”  
  
“Look, you came over here late last night in tears and cried for over an hour. Now you expect me to let you go home? I can’t let you go home, Savannah, knowing whatever happened there must have been so terrible that it drove you here in that state. I don’t want you going back to it, Savannah.”  
  
“But I have to, Charlie.”  
  
“They may not know where you are, but I think you’ll be safer here.”  
  
“Are you kidding?” Savannah cried. “When my parents find my bed empty, I’ll be _far_ from safe.”  
  
_Far from safe_ , the words echoed in Charlie’s ears.  
  
“Not if they can’t find you, Savannah.” Charlie could feel the panic rising in his chest.  
  
“What about you, huh? What about your dad? He’s going to find out you’re not home.”  
  
“It’ll be a while before he figures it out.”  
  
Savannah shook her head.  
  
“And how long, exactly, is _a while_?”  
  
“Until tonight;” Charlie realized that was not quite _a while_. He pushed the panic to the back of his mind and continued. “He’s on a business trip in Florida. Everyone thinks I’m skiing in Vermont.”  
  
“ _Tonight_? You’re really going to put your family through all that during Christmas, Charlie?”  
  
Charlie let out a heavy sigh. He really did not want to argue about this right now, he just wanted Savannah to stay here where she would be safe.  
  
“He’s going to call your mom,” Savannah continued. “Your mom is going to fly out here and she definitely will when she finds out I’m missing. She’s not as stupid and selfish as my mom says.”  
  
Charlie shook his head, letting out a sigh.  
  
“I doubt that. If she doesn’t care about me, then she doesn’t care about anyone in her family. It has been seven years since I left and she only reached out once. If she does care about anyone, it would be that husband of hers and their children.”  
  
“Whether or not she does isn’t the point, Charlie. The point is that you won’t be where you’re supposed to be and I won’t be where I’m supposed to be on Christmas!”  
  
“Why do you keep arguing, Savannah? You know I’m right. Let’s not worry about any of that other stuff yet, you’re here and you’re safe.” Charlie stepped closer. Savannah slowly made eye contact with him, her blue meeting his hazel.  
  
“I don’t know.” She let out a heavy sigh, followed by a short, bitter laugh. “I mean, I don’t _want_ to go home; but it feels wrong not to.”  
  
“Being here is the right thing for you, Savannah; we both know that. At least, for right now, this is where you should be.” He wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her shoulder gently.  
  
“What about when I _do_ go back. What’s going to happen then?” Savannah rest her head on his chest.  
  
“We’ll worry about that when it happens. Come on, let’s get into bed.” He guided her towards the bed.  
  
“Really?” Savannah looked a little unsure.  
  
It was then Charlie realized the implication of what he had just said.  
  
“I- I, uh. I just thought you needed some comforting. That’s all. I’ll just go now.” Charlie said, his face now red with embarrassment. He had never been good with words, especially when it came to girls.  
  
“No, it’s fine. I mean, you _are_ my cousin; so I don’t see anything wrong in sharing a bed with a boy who’s family.” Savannah smiled, her cheeks faintly pink.  
  
“Well, then.” Charlie pulled the sheets back and motioned for her to get in. Savannah obliged and he followed, putting an arm protectively around her.  
  
Charlie woke several hours later and could see sunlight streaming through the windows. Savannah was still in his arms with her eyes closed and blond hair strewn across the pillow. He smiled, slowly moving away, careful not to wake Savannah up.  
  
He got out of bed and pulled the cover over Savannah’s sleeping figure, tucking her in securely before drawing the blinds shut. Charlie carefully closed the doors behind him and made his way to the TV, putting one of the three main national networks. It was close to nine in the morning, so one of those daytime talk shows would be airing now.  
  
However, instead of seeing the familiar faces of the two celebrities who occupied the nine o’clock time slot on this network, it was _breaking news_ from the local television station. It stated there was an Amber Alert out for a missing girl. Charlie’s eyes snapped to the television when he heard a familiar name. When he saw the familiar face of his cousin, he almost died.  
  
It was a picture of Savannah and a horrible one at that. She looked younger, Charlie guessed it had been a school picture from the previous year. Her hair was braided like Pippi Longstocking’s, and she wore a baby-blue blouse. She was grinning with her teeth showing, as if she had been saying _Cheese!_  
  
Her eyes struck him as remarkable. Even though Savannah was smiling, her dazzling blue eyes showed the same sort of sadness they had when he picked her up less than twelve hours earlier.  
  
_Wow_ , Charlie thought, dumbstruck. Savannah had not been kidding after all. He quickly shut off the television, not wanting Savannah to see her face on TV. It would either mortify or infuriate her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crack is well on its way now.


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took out one or two scenes and this does not impact the story in any way.

  
**Lucy’s POV – Approximately 6 AM (PST) Monday, December 23 rd 2019**  
  
Lucy Kinkirk woke at the break of dawn feeling nauseous; it was something that had been happening a lot lately. _It’s probably just nerves_ , she told herself as she hurried to the bathroom to relieve the previous night’s dinner. Raising a fourteen-year-old daughter with a husband who was hardly ever around was no easy task.  
  
There were many days when Lucy wanted to just throw in the towel, give up on life, and never see daylight again. She couldn’t help but feel a slight bit bad that she had locked Savannah in her bedroom the previous night; it had been extreme what she had done, but with multiple miscarriages, Savannah became even more precious to her. Nonetheless, this didn’t give Lucy the right to do what she had done to her only child.  
  
After she had finished rinsing her mouth out, Lucy decided to go check on Savannah and maybe apologize. It took her a minute to undo the deadbolts, and she was about to give up and break the door down when the latch finally came undone. She untied the chain and opened the door slowly, careful to not wake Savannah up.  
  
However, instead of seeing her sweet angel sleeping in her bed, Lucy found it to be empty with the sheets pulled down. Lucy’s eyes widened in panic and moved towards the window; it was open.  
  
“Kevin!” Lucy shrieked. “Kevin, come here!”  
  
Almost immediately, her husband was by her side, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.  
  
“Luce–,” Kevin began, but he stopped when he saw what was wrong. The empty bed and open window.  
  
“Savannah is gone! I know she couldn’t have run away; she would _never_ run away!” Lucy wailed.  
  
Kevin pulled his wife to his chest, wrapping an arm around her and guided her away from the room. Once in the kitchen, he reached for the phone and called the station. Lucy leaned in close so she could hear the officer on the phone speaking.  
  
“Glen Oak Police Department, Officer Maxwell speaking. How may I help you this morning?”  
  
“This is Detective Kinkirk. My wife, Lucy, just went to check on our daughter, Savannah, and she’s missing.”  
  
“When did you last see your daughter, Detective Kinkirk? Do you remember what she was wearing?”  
  
“We last saw her when she went to bed at approximately ten last night and, um…” Kevin looked down at Lucy, but she simply shrugged. She couldn’t remember what Savannah was wearing; she had been too busy being angry at her only child. The thought of Savannah being hurt tore her open and she let out a pitiful wail.  
  
“She was wearing a track suit,” Kevin said with a tremble in his voice. Lucy closed her eyes; trying to picture her daughter the last time she had seen her. It was such a blur; she had been so upset with Savannah that she hadn’t taken the time to capture her daughter’s last appearance  
  
“We’ll put out an alert for your daughter. Do you and your wife have a recent picture of Savannah?”  
  
“We have her school picture from this year. We’ll bring it over as soon as possible.”  
  
“We will call you if we hear anything regarding your daughter, Detective Kinkirk.”  
  
“Thank you.” Kevin sighed and hung up. Lucy clung close to her husband, still quivering in senseless wails. He rubbed his wife’s back gently.  
  
“Luce, we should call your family,” he whispered into her hair. “Maybe they’ll be able to help us.”  
  
 _She wouldn’t run away_ , Lucy kept telling herself; then again, they _had_ locked her up with that fear in their minds. _Savannah couldn’t run away, she was locked in_ , Lucy reminded herself; but then she remembered the window being open. She pushed away the thought of Savannah wanting to abandon her own loving mother.  
  
 _She must have been kidnapped_ , Lucy decided, her heart feeling as if it’d been stabbed with a sword.  
  
 **Sarah’s POV – Approximately 6:30 AM (PST) Monday, December 23 rd 2019**  
  
Sarah Glass-Camden glanced out the window frantically; this was the _third_ time in a week her husband did not come home the night before. Anger throbbed within her veins. Her three boys were beginning to ask questions; they no longer believed their father was working all hours of the night. Oh, Matt Camden _has_ worked late, well into the hours of pre-dawn; but never all night.  
  
Of course, this had been before he lost his medical license a year earlier. Matt have had several different minimum wage jobs since _it_ happened; but none of these jobs required him working at night. Sarah made sure of that, she wanted her husband home to spend time with her and the boys.  
  
The phone’s shrill ringing startled Sarah, and she looked at her watch. It was only 6:30 in the morning. _Who could be calling now? Was it Matt?_ She wondered, hurrying towards the phone.  
  
“Hello? Matt, is that you?” Sarah blabbered without letting the other person speak.  
  
“Sarah, it’s Kevin.” She noted how Kevin’s voice had a bit of panic in it. Her heart fell. _Did something happen to Matt? Is that why he never came home?_ But she reminded herself someone would have come to the house if something had happened to her husband, She wouldn’t get a call from Kevin.  
  
“What’s going on?” Sarah held her breath in suspense, prepared to handle any bad news.  
  
“Savannah is missing. We think she has been kidnapped. But I’m calling all her friends and the family anyways. Is there any chance she’s over there?”  
  
 _Did he just say Savannah is missing? Did he say kidnapped?_ Sarah’s mouth fell open, this was worse than any news she could have expected.  
  
“N-no she’s not here, Kevin. I would have called you if she was.” Her head began to spin.  
  
“Did you call the police?” She felt a sense of irony in asking, considering Kevin _was_ the police.  
  
“I’ve already called the station and they’re putting out an Amber Alert. Call if you hear from her.”  
  
“Of course, you know I will.”  
  
“Thanks, Sarah. I should go and help Lucy out now. We’ll talk later.” There was a click, indicating that Kevin had hung up. Sarah could feel a headache coming on, she really wish Matt were here. Things took a turn for the worse between them in the past year, especially since _then_.  
  
 _One year earlier. Christmas 2018._  
  
“Boys!” Sarah called up the stairs. “Come on!” Seconds later, Jacob came thundering down the steps.  
  
“Ready, Mom!” He chirped happily, his eight-year-old self unable to wait the mountain load of presents waiting for him under the Christmas tree at his grandparents. He had the best of both worlds, Hanukkah and Christmas; not many children could say that.  
  
Sarah smiled, ruffling her youngest son’s hair. She looked up to see Jeremiah and Jonah coming down the steps, talking in hushed whispers. Sarah immediately grew suspicious.  
  
“What’s going on, boys?” Sarah inquired.  
  
The twins exchanged glances and looked at their mother, standing with hands on her hips.  
  
“Nothing.” Jeremiah sighed.  
  
“Really? Look, I don’t have time for games today.”  
  
“Mom,” Jonah paused for a beat. “What’s incense?”  
  
“What?” Sarah was confused. “Why do you ask?”  
  
“Because that’s what the funny smell is coming from the bathroom, I asked my friend what it was for and they said drug addicts use it to get rid of that pot smell. Is it true?”  
  
Sarah’s eyes widened in horror.  
  
“Boys, go to Ellie’s right now. I’ll be over to get you shortly.”  
  
“But Mom—,” Jeremiah began to protest, but Sarah interrupted with a firm shake of the head.  
  
“Now! Go, all three of you. Hold your brother’s hand!” Sarah called after Jonah and Jeremiah as the boys exited the house. Once she was sure the children were gone, she groaned in frustration and ran up the stairs. Sure enough, the heavy smell of incense lingered in the boys’ bathroom; the bathroom where her three preteen boys, two aged twelve and one aged eight, used.  
  
She peeked in her room, but it was empty. They had a guest room—in the event the boys decided to have a sleep-over—and this is where she found Matt laying on the bed, muttering to himself.  
  
“Matt!” Sarah cried.  
  
“Dude!” Matt sat up and Sarah stepped closer, forcing her husband to look at her in the eye.  
  
“You are stoned, Matt. What the actual fuck? I- I can’t believe this. You have the audacity to be high in our home, the home where our three children eat, bathe, and sleep! What is wrong with you? I- I can’t deal with this bullshit right now. You’re going to stay here and get sober while I celebrate with your family. I can’t believe this. I don’t even know who you are anymore, Matt!”  
  
Sarah let out a heavy sigh and pushed her absent husband out of her mind. She picked the phone back up and dialed Ruthie’s phone number. She knew that it was later in Ohio, so her youngest sister-in-law would definitely be awake now.  
  
 **Ruthie’s POV – Approximately 9:45 AM (EST) Monday, December 23 rd 2019**  
  
Two year old Zoey Petrowski giggled as her mother wiped the oatmeal off her chin. Ruthie smiled proudly at her little girl. Through her two daughters, Ruthie was reminded of her childhood innocence; both Zoey and Natasha reminded Ruthie of herself when she had been a young child.  
  
Ruthie and Peter were fortunate enough to live so far away from the ruckus that became her family; but felt awful for her niece and nephews who had to endure it every day. There were times when Ruthie wished she could just fly to Calfornia, scope the four kids up, and take them home to Ohio with her; or, at the very least, Savannah.  
  
From what she’s been hearing, Matt and Sarah’s situation wasn’t much better than Lucy and Kevin’s. Sarah called frequently and the kids contacted her through Facebook messages, but none of them would go into great detail about what was going on at home or with Matt. It had been months since Ruthie had last contacted her eldest brother. She left a few voice messages early on in the year, but Matt never replied to any of them.  
  
Unfortunately, there was nothing Ruthie could do, being more than two thousand miles away. She knew as long as her sister was alive, there was no way Lucy would allow Ruthie to take Savannah across the country. It wasn’t like Ruthie and Peter didn’t have the room, they lived in a five-bedroom house. Natasha adored her older cousin and Zoey was too young to really have remembered their last visit to Glen Oak the Christmas before.  
  
Ruthie’s smile fell as she recalled the visit. That had only been the beginning of the apocalypse.  
  
 _One year earlier. Christmas 2018._  
  
Matt had just lost his license barely a month earlier, leaving the Camdens in shock. Nobody could really grasp that the family’s biggest success story lost it all like that. Ruthie knew the holidays itself would be difficult with Lucy losing her job at the Church to that Chandler Hampton guy, in addition to all her miscarriages, and Matt losing his job—things didn’t seem like they could get much worse in Glen Oak.  
  
Nonetheless, Ruthie and Peter had insisted on going; it wouldn’t be right for them to keep the girls away from their grandparents. After all, everything that happened wasn’t her parents’ fault. The couple arrived at Eric and Annie’s new, much smaller house on Christmas Eve expecting the worst.  
  
All hell had broken loose before the holiday festivities had even remotely begun. Lucy busted into the house moments after they arrived crying, “Oh, woe is me!” Savannah and Kevin following behind her. Ruthie immediately felt sorry for Savannah, who was only thirteen at the time.  
  
Savannah wrapped her arms around Natasha; they hadn’t seen each other since the previous Christmas. But the reunion between the two cousins didn’t last long. Just a moment later, Lucy screeched, “Savannah, come help me in the kitchen. Now!”  
  
“But Mon, can’t I play with Taz and Zoe? I never get to see them,” Savannah had begged.  
  
“Savannah,” Lucy took a deep breath, speaking calmly, “You’re my only daughter. I need your help; I don’t have any other children to help me.” Lucy glanced towards Ruthie and scoffed.  
  
“But—,” Savannah began, but Lucy cut her off.  
  
“No ifs, ands, or buts! Come on, Savannah.”  
  
“Lucy, don’t you think—,” Ruthie began.  
  
“You stay out of this, Miss Perfect!” Lucy snapped at her sister.  
  
Savannah looked towards her aunt with sad eyes and disappeared into the kitchen with her mother. It wasn’t much later when Sarah and the boys arrived. Ruthie greeted her sister-in-law and nephews with hugs. Like with Savannah, Ruthie hadn’t seen Sarah and the boys since the previous Christmas.  
  
“Where’s Matt?” Ruthie asked, she noticed her brother was absent.  
  
Sarah let out a sigh, shaking her head, and Ruthie could instantly tell something was wrong.  
  
“Well, let’s just say he isn’t joining us today.” Ruthie frowned at these words. She had really been looking forward to seeing her eldest brother. Although, she could understand considering that he had only very recently lost the job he had worked so hard to get.  
  
Natasha went off with her cousins while Peter had gone off with Kevin in the hopes of digging up some information on Matt’s whereabouts. In the meantime, Ruthie sat on the couch with Sarah, trying to do the same; but the older woman wouldn’t share much. All she had said was that Matt would disappear for days at a time then show up like nothing was wrong. Ruthie noticed a bit of hesitation in her voice.  
  
Then it happened, a loud bang sounded from upstairs. Ruthie and Sarah sprung off the couch, Ruthie still with Zoey in her arms. The two hurried up the steps and by the time they got to the commotion, Peter and Lucy were already standing in the doorway to her parents’ bedroom  
  
Lucy spun around, glaring furiously at Ruthie.  
  
“Where were you, Ruthie? Why weren’t you watching your kid? You know what? I should turn you in for child abuse!”  
  
Ruthie had no idea what the hell her sister was talking about until she saw Natasha on the floor, crying. She had apparently run into the now broken antique lamp in the bedroom. Her knee was bleeding and Kevin was currently doctoring the cut with a First Aid kit.  
  
Jonah, Jeremiah, and Jacob were huddled in the corner. When they saw their mother, they hurried over.  
  
“It wasn’t our fault, Mommy! We swear. We were playing Cops and Robbers, and Natasha ran in here, and then we heard the big bang!” Jacob cried, grabbing his mother’s waist with fright.  
  
“Don’t worry, sweetie; I know it wasn’t your fault.” Sarah stroked her son’s hair gently.  
  
Ruthie handed Zoe to Peter and hurried to comfort her whimpering daughter.  
  
“She’s going to be fine,” Kevin assured her. “All she has are a few cuts and bruises.”  
  
Ruthie let out a sigh of relief, hugging her daughter.  
  
“That’s not going to bring Mom’s lamp back! Ruthie, you need to teach your daughter not _to run in the house like a wild animal!” Lucy snapped. Then she turned to Sarah and commented snidely, “And I wonder where she learnt_ that _from.”_  
  
Sarah let out a horrified gasp.  
  
“Don’t you ever accuse my sons of being a bad influence! They are only kids.”  
  
Lucy scoffed, rolling her eyes.  
  
“It seems like I am the only one in this family who knows how to parent children. You’re all lunatics, I swear; I don’t understand why God gives children to ungrateful parents and not to those that really deserves them!” Lucy stormed out of the room.  
  
Ruthie looked at her daughter’s frightened brown eyes, and it was then she realized how crazy her sister had really become. She knew then and there that she did not want her two girls exposed to the insane woman that was their aunt, and she knew that Peter would agree.  
  
The phone rang, bringing Ruthie back to the present. She leaned over the counter while keeping an eye on her giggling daughter. She smiled, running her hand through Zoe’s messy curls.  
  
“Ruthie Petrowski here.” Ruthie answered.  
  
“Ruthie, it’s Sarah,” her sister-in-law’s voice trembled into the receiver.  
  
“Hey, Sarah! How are you?” Ruthie was surprised to be hearing from Sarah at this hour, it was still relatively early back in Glen Oak.  
  
“Stressed, but that’s a story for another time,” Sarah told her with a sigh, “Look, I don’t know if you’ve spoken to Kevin yet today, but Savannah is missing. I thought I should give you a heads up. Kevin seems to think she was kidnapped. Though, his voice was a bit off, like there was something he didn’t want to share.”  
  
“Wait, Sarah, slow down!” Ruthie cried. Did she hear correctly? _Savannah was missing? Kidnapped?_  
  
“Sorry, I hear the boys upstairs; I really should get breakfast ready. We’re going over to visit my parents in a bit. I’ll talk to you later.”  
  
“Wait—.” The line went dead. Ruthie’s mouth went dry as she slowly hung up the phone. She turned around to see her two-year-old staring at her blankly. Natasha walked into the room and knew something was wrong from the look on her mother’s face.  
  
“What’s wrong, Mom?” _Damn her for being so perceptive!_ Ruthie thought with a sigh.  
  
She forced a smile, the last thing she wanted to do was worry Natasha. “Nothing, baby. Nothing.”  
  
“Sure.” Natasha didn’t seem to believe her, but didn’t push the topic any further.  
  
 _Savannah’s missing._ The words kept playing in Ruthie’s head. She had to do something, and she couldn’t do anything while still being in Ohio.  
  
 _What if Savannah hadn’t been kidnapped? What if she ran away? What if she was running away to come here?_ Ruthie couldn’t believe that her fourteen-year-old niece would get a plane ticket all the way to Ohio on her own.  
  
Then again, her nephew had done the same thing when he was only eight years old.  
  
 _Savannah’s not Charlie, though._ Ruthie had to remind herself.  
  
Maybe, just _maybe_ , Lucy had pulled the last straw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here on out, there are going to be major revisions from the original. Scenes deleted, scenes added, interaction between characters made different. I tried to tone down on the _family dysfunction_ but, at the same time, kept the original concept.


	8. Chapter 7

**Kevin’s POV – Approximately 3 AM (PST) Tuesday, December 24 th 2019**  


More than twenty hours have passed since Lucy found Savannah’s bed empty and the window open. It was now three in the morning on Christmas Eve, and Kevin lay awake in his bed, alone. Lucy was at her parents’ house. Ever since Savannah’s disappearance, Lucy had been unable to bear staying in her home without her daughter.  
  
Savannah’s disappearance was affecting everyone in the family, Annie and Lucy in particular; neither could focus on completing tasks properly. Both spent the day in a comatose state, sitting by the phone waiting for a call from the police stations in hopes that news would come regarding Savannah; but no such news ever came.  
  
Kevin had spent the entire day calling Savannah’s friends, scoping out places he knew his daughter like to hang out, and checking in at the station every half an hour to see if any new lead had come in. Everything had lead to a dead end for him. His daughter was nowhere to be found. He was too anxious to stay at home alone and went into work.  
  
At eleven o’clock that night, Chief Michaels had ordered Kevin to go home and get some rest.  
  
_Right,_ Kevin thought. How exactly did Chief Michaels expect him to get some _rest_ when his only child was missing? Night had fallen again and a chilly drizzle was in the forecast.  
  
Lucy had managed to convince Annie that Savannah had been kidnapped. However, Kevin and Lucy both knew they left out one small detail: dead-bolting their daughter’s door. There was almost no doubt in Kevin’s mind that Savannah ran away, and he couldn’t blame her. Despite that, the thought of his daughter being alone in the cold, dark world scared him. Savannah was only fourteen years old; she was too young to take care of herself.  
  
Kevin closed his eyes to see his daughter’s frail oval face alone in the dark. She looked so much like her mother in his mind. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she huddled under a canopy as the freezing rain fell. All Kevin wanted to do was reach his arms out to her and let her know everything would be okay. Daddy would be there for her.  
  
But he wasn’t, he was still laying alone in his bed, in an empty house without his wife and daughter. There was nothing he could do for Savannah.  
  
_This is all my fault_ , Kevin told himself. If only he had stood up to his wife, if only he had defended his daughter, if only… it wasn’t too late. But he didn’t have the courage to stand up to his own wife, the mother of his only child.  
  
Savannah had always been mature for her age, and knowing that gave him some sort of peace of mind. He couldn’t blame Savannah for wanting to escape. If he were her, he knew he would have run away too; however, Kevin knew he couldn’t mention the idea of her running away to Lucy, she would freak out at the suggestion.  
  
The idea of Savannah running away would feel like betrayal to Lucy. Apparently, she would rather have a serial rapist or murderer kidnap her daughter than believe she could turn her back on her own mother. Being a cop, Kevin felt different. He didn’t even _want_ to think about his daughter being in the hands of a complete stranger.  
  
Although it was cold, sweat dripped from Kevin’s face and his heart continued to pound against his chest. He stretched his legs out trying to reach some comfort, but was unable to find any. He grabbed his wife’s pillow and stuffed his face into it, searching for sleep. Next, he tried counting sheep, something his mother told him to do when he couldn’t sleep.  
  
_One hundred, ninety-nine, ninety-eight… forget it._ His thoughts continued to drift right back to his daughter. Savannah was all alone in the cold on the night of Christmas Eve.  
  
Kevin let out a sigh, jumping out of bed to open the window. He needed to let the fresh air into the stuffy room. Although it was only in the forties outside and winter, it felt as if it were the middle of summer. The weather in California had been one of Kevin’s biggest adjustments when he moved from chilly Buffalo, New York to sunny California seventeen years ago to be with Lucy.  
  
_Was it the wrong decision?_ Kevin wondered, and tried to imagine what his life would be like now if he had told Lucy no in regards to moving to California, and ended the relationship instead. The thought made him shiver. When it all boiled down to it, the only positive event that came out of his relationship with Lucy was Savannah.  
  
And now she was gone.  
  
Kevin glanced at the clock, it read _3:27_. Where was his daughter sleeping? Was she on a park bench? Had she gotten herself a plane ticket and flown somewhere? She didn’t have any money, so how could she do that? Then it dawned on him, Savannah had just gotten her first job. When did she get her first paycheck? If she had her first paycheck, surely she would have been able to pay for a plane ticket.  
  
_Ruthie_ , his sister-in-law’s name sparked something in Kevin’s mind. He had been spending the whole day staying local that he hadn’t even thought to call family who lived out of town.  
  
_What if Savannah flew to Ohio?_  
  
Kevin looked at the clock again, realizing that it would be quarter past six in the morning on the East coast. He reached for the phone and frantically dialed Ruthie’s number.  
  
**Ruthie’s POV – Approximately 6:30 AM (EST) December 23 rd 2019**  
  
Ruthie lay awake in bed, unable to sleep; she could not stop worrying about her niece. She was _almost_ certain Savannah ran away; but not quite. Ruthie tried getting in touch with her over Facebook, but never got any reply. This alone defied the belief she hadn’t run away. A chill ran up her spine at the thought of her sweet, innocent niece in danger.  
  
_Maybe she’s waiting until she gets somewhere safe_ , Ruthie told herself, glancing at the clock. The digital display read _6:28_ and there was no dot next to the green digits, indicating that it was morning. It had been twenty-one hours since she got the news about Savannah, surely her niece would have found a safe place by now.  
  
_She could be afraid to get in touch with a family member_ , Ruthie told herself.  
  
_But why?_ She wondered. Why would Savannah be afraid? This worried Ruthie even more. What had happened that would cause Savannah to run away? Now she really wished her niece was there, in her house with her _decent_ family. Whatever Lucy, and perhaps Kevin, had done, Ruthie knew she and Peter would never do it to their two girls.  
  
Ruthie knew her daughters would be teenagers one day; but she would let Natasha and Zoe be who they wanted to be. Ruthie and Peter would make sure they knew that if they ever had a problem or got into any kind of trouble, they could talk to their parents; there was absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Ruthie was much easier on her children, letting the girls do what they wanted to an extent. She considered herself the anti-Lucy.  
  
The phone rang and Ruthie immediately answered, pulling back the sheets.  
  
“Savannah?” She whispered, careful not to wake her husband up.  
  
“No, it’s Kevin. I have some bad news concerning Savannah.”  
  
Ruthie rolled her eyes and stood up.  
  
“She’s missing? Yeah, I know, Sarah told me yesterday.”  
  
“Oh.” Was all Kevin said.  
  
Ruthie found herself growing irritated. She was getting more and more certain Savannah had run away with each passing second.  
  
“What the hell did you guys do?” Ruthie demanded in a quiet hiss, leaving the room so she wouldn’t wake her husband up.  
  
“What did we do? What do you mean?” Kevin sounded all too innocent for Ruthie’s liking. “We didn’t do anything, Ruthie; Savannah was kidnapped.”  
  
Ruthie laughed bitterly.  
  
“ _Please_ , enough of the bullshit. Savannah ran away and you know it. I knew something was going to happen with the way you and Lucy treat her.”  
  
“The way _I_ treat her?” Kevin asked, and there was a hint of irritation in his voice. He seemed to have realized what he said, because he tried to backtrack. “Look, we treat her just fine.”  
  
“Hah!” Ruthie let out a cold laugh. “It was Lucy who did it, right? What did she do now? I’m surprised Savannah didn’t try to run away years ago, because I sure as hell would have. This will _never_ happen with my girls, because Peter and I treat them the way children deserve to be treated. My husband has a mind of his own, we talk, we work things out, and if one of the girls have a problem, we encourage them to come speak to us instead of doing whatever the hell it was Lucy did, and you just went along with it like a spineless moron! Goodbye, Kevin!” Ruthie shouted into the phone and hung up.  
  
There was the sound of someone clearing their throat and Ruthie whirled around to find her husband leaning against the doorframe.  
  
“What the hell was that all about?” Peter asked, confused. Ruthie shook her head, sighing. She walked to her husband, laying her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her.  
  
“What happened, Ruthie?” He asked quietly, rubbing her shoulder.  
  
“Savannah was _supposedly_ kidnapped.”  
  
“Supposedly?” Peter inquired and Ruthie knew she was safe sharing this with Peter. They had known one another for almost seventeen years and have been friends for almost as long. Ever since they got married, they always communicated with one another when something was wrong, and Ruthie believed this was an important aspect of marriage.  
  
“Lucy did something—I don’t know _what_ —and now Savannah has run away; or, as _they_ ’re claiming, she has been kidnapped.”  
  
“Seriously? Wow.” Peter sighed, running his hand up and down her back, holding her close.  
  
“Yeah, and now I have to go to Glen Oak and make sure Savannah is really okay.”  
  
“Ruthie, y- you can’t be serious.” Peter’s hand paused on her lower back. Ruthie could feel her heart breaking at his tone. She didn’t want to go any more than he wanted to; all she wanted to do was stay in their cozy home in the suburbs, surrounded by the snow, with her husband and their precious daughters.  
  
But she had to go. For Savannah.  
  
“I have to,” Ruthie sighed, pulling away from her husband’s loving embrace. She retrieved the wireless phone and proceeded to call Simon, who lived just a couple towns over.  
  
**Simon’s POV – approximately 6:40 AM (EST) December 23 rd 2019**  
  
Simon Camden-Palmer let out a sigh of relief; his daughter, Lena, was _finally_ asleep. He looked at the clocks in the hopes of getting a good night’s sleep only to realize that it was close to seven in the morning. He had been up all night with his precious daughter. She was beginning to teeth and had been running a fever of about one hundred the whole night. It pained Simon to see his little girl going through this, but he knew it would pass.  
  
The phone shrill ring interrupted the silence, and Simon was startled awake.  
  
_Who could be calling at this hour?_ Robbie and Ruthie were the only ones who called the house phone; all of his colleagues would contact him via his cell phone. He noticed Lena begin to stir. _Great_ , he thought, irritated. He wasn’t so sure he would be able to forgive the caller on the phone for this. Before his daughter could begin crying, Simon stepped outside her bedroom to grab the wireless phone in the kitchen.  
  
“Whoever this is, it better be important. You’ve woken my daughter up.”  
  
“It’s Ruthie, and I’m sorry,” his sister’s voice trembled. _Something was wrong_ , Simon could tell there was. Ruthie never called this early in the morning. “It’s an emergency, Simon.”  
  
Simon frowned, sitting down at the bar.  
  
“What’s going on, Ruthie? I’m sorry for snapping at you, I’ve been up all night with Lena. She’s teething and she has a bit of a fever.”  
  
Simon could hear his sister sigh through the phone.  
  
“It’s all right, Simon. I’ve been there, twice. Don’t forget, Zoe’s only a couple months older than Lena. It’ll pass, I promise.”  
  
“I believe you. It’s funny, I can remember when _you_ were teething.” There was an awkward silence that passed between the siblings, and Simon realized that Ruthie had said it was an _emergency_. “Anyways, why are you calling? Is everything all right? It’s not Matt, is it?”  
  
“Huh?” Ruthie’s voice was groggy, then she seemed to snap out of it before going on a rant.  
  
“I don’t know anything about Matt. No, it isn’t him. It’s Savannah. Something is wrong, Simon. Sarah called me yesterday morning with news that Savannah had gone missing, that Lucy and Kevin think she was abducted sometimes Sunday night. I tried to let it pass; but I couldn’t. I figured she would turn up; I really doubt she was kidnapped. You know how Lucy and Kevin— _especially_ Lucy—treat her. I figured she ran away, you know?  
  
But she hasn’t been on Facebook and she hasn’t contacted me. I don’t know why she wouldn’t contact me if she ran away. She knows I’d always be there for her. And then Kevin just called me—”  
  
“Whoa, wait. Slow down!” Simon cried. His head was spinning as he listened to his sister’s rant, which was impossible to keep up with. He had caught “ _Savannah’s missing_ ” and “ _Something is wrong_ ” and “ _You know Kevin and Lucy._ ”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Ruthie apologized with a sigh. I’m just so upset with my sister and stupid brother-in-law, and I’m really worried about Savannah. Kevin and Lucy did something, I don’t know what; but I can just feel it in my bones. I’m going to Glen Oak, Simon. I know I told you I wasn’t going this Christmas; but I _have_ to. Savannah needs me and I need to get to the bottom of this.”  
  
Simon and Ronald had been contemplating on whether or not they should go to Glen Oak this Christmas. Robbie had wanted them to join his family in Florida, but Mary wasn’t too fond of this idea. Like the rest of the family, Mary wasn’t on speaking terms with Simon.  
  
It was Christmas Eve, and Simon still hadn’t made the final decision. He and Ronald had tickets to both California and Florida. They were going to decide which tickets to use when they arrived at the airport that evening.  
  
Now, Simon _knew_ where they had to be for Christmas. Whether they wanted to or not.  
  
“Wow. Ruthie, you don’t think Lucy and Kevin would _hurt_ their own daughter, do you? As in… _abuse_?” Simon knew Lucy could be manipulative. He tried to picture his older sister laying a hand on her own child and, somehow, he found it difficult to imagine.  
  
“I don’t know, Simon. I just don’t know at this point.” He could hear Ruthie sigh. “I have to go now. I knew nobody else in the family would let you know what was going on, so I thought I’d be the bearer of bad news… _again_. I’ll talk to you later, all right?”  
  
“All right,” Simon said quietly right before the line went dead.  
  
Behind him, a sleepy Ronald was standing in the doorway holding a tearful Lena.  
  
“Who was on the phone, Simon?” He yawned and held his daughter close. Simon stood, still in a state of shock. He shook his head, mouth moving but no words came out.  
  
“Oh, God. Simon, what happened? Is it your dad again?”  
  
“No. It- it’s Savannah. She’s been missing since sometimes Sunday night. We have to go to Glen Oak.”  
  
“Well, shit,” Ronald whispered. “I better call Robbie.”  
  
He handed Lena to Simon, who wrapped his arms around the sleepy toddler.  
  
**Mary’s POV – Approximately 7:00 AM (EST) Tuesday, December 24 th 2019**  
  
Mary Camden-Palmer woke early the morning of Christmas Eve. Today, her daughters and husband would be going out to town for lunch at a restaurant and then head over to Robbie’s mother for Christmas presents and a dinner. Normally, they would spend the night, but Simon and Ronald said they might fly in; Mary did _not_ look forward to one bit.  
  
The silence of the early morning was broken by the phone’s shrill ring. An unfamiliar number appeared on the caller ID, but the area code _212_ signified the call was coming from New York. She tried to recall anyone she knew in New York and came up blank.  
  
“Palmer residence, who may I ask is calling?”  
  
“Mary, it’s me. Carlos.” Carlos began to go on a frenzied rant, his speech switching between Spanish and English. “Charlie no aqui!”  
  
“Wait, slow down, Carlos. _What_ are you saying? What happened to Charlie?”  
  
“Charlie is missing!” Carlos shouted. “He was supposed to go with friends on a skiing trip over the weekend while I was in Miami. I come home yesterday, and my sister says she thought he had gone with his friends and Charlie’s friends said he never went on the trip! I don’t know, I know this sounds muy loco, but have you heard from him?”  
  
“No, Carlos, I have not spoken to Charlie in years. When did you last hear from him?”  
  
“We text briefly yesterday morning, but he isn’t replying anymore!”  
  
Mary was beginning to grow frantic. She had no idea how to respond to this; her son was _missing_ , the same son she hadn’t seen for seven years. The same son that said he hated her and took off for Puerto Rico before she had the chance to say or do anything. This was the reason hardly anyone in the family spoke to her now.  
  
“Carlos, I’ll let you know if I see or hear from him. I promise.”  
  
“Gracias, I hope to hear from him by the end of the day.”  
  
“I hope so too. Bye, Carlos.” Mary hung up. She _really_ didn’t expect to hear from her son; but, at the same time, she wanted to know where he was. Why did he take off? Was he hurt? Was there something wrong? Was he in some kind of trouble? Is that why he took off so suddenly? The possibilities seemed to be endless. It has been years since she last saw or spoke to Charlie; she wasn’t even sure if she’d recognize him now.  
  
The phone in Mary’s hand rang, but she was too lost in her thoughts to answer it. It stopped ringing and she assumed they had hung up. After all, it was still early in the morning.  
  
“Mary,” Robbie shook her shoulder gently five minutes later. She looked up, her eyes moist with unshed tears. She wiped her eyes and sniffled, letting out a pained sigh.  
  
“What’s going on?” Her husband sat on the couch and wrapped an around her.  
  
“Carlos called,” Mary could feel Robbie tense at the mention of her ex-husband, but she continued on. “Charlie was supposed to go on a trip with some friends this past weekend while Carlos was in Miami. He came home last night and it turns out that Charlie never went on the trip. He’s missing, Robbie.”  
  
“Oh,” Robbie let out a heavy sigh. “Mary, that was my brother on the phone just now with some bad news.”  
  
“Oh, I don’t know how much more I can take.” She sobbed, burying her face in his chest.  
  
“Charlie isn’t the only one missing.”  
  
“Huh?” Mary looked up at her husband with confusion.  
  
“Savannah has been missing since sometimes Sunday night.”  
  
“Are you serious?” Mary cried.  
  
Robbie nodded solemnly.  
  
“I’m afraid so.”  
  
“Oh, my God. This just _can’t_ be happening!” She wailed; Robbie held her close in an attempt to comfort her. Even though Mary hadn’t liked Lucy in some time, she couldn’t imagine her sister ever going through something so horrible like this with her only child, not after what she’d been through in the past thirteen years. She would never, _ever_ wish something like that on her worst enemy; nobody deserved that.


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's get crack-a-lackin'!

**Charlie’s POV – Around 6:00 PM (PST) Tuesday, December 24 th 2019**  
  
Over the next day and half, Charlie was able to keep Savannah away from the television or any source that would make her aware that people thought she had been kidnapped and that there was now a search going on for her. Charlie was positive that, by now, the family had become aware _he_ was missing as well. After all, his father got home from Miami the night before and would have long ago discovered that his son never went on the ski trip with his friends, and hadn’t been home either.  
  
Charlie wondered if any of his relatives had figured out that he and Savannah were missing _together_. The only one in their family who might have an idea would be Ruthie. She was pretty smart and, once she let the news settle in about her eldest nephew missing while her eldest niece was as well, Ruthie would realize that they were together. After all, he was pretty certain Savannah spoke a lot with her youngest aunt and told him everything that went on at home; things she hadn’t told him yet.  
  
At the thought of his Aunt Ruthie, Charlie realized that he hadn’t been on Facebook since Saturday morning, right before he got on the plane to come to Glen Oak. Fortunately, his cousin was taking a shower, so he had a couple minutes to see if he had any new messages.  
  
He logged into his Facebook account and saw that he had many new messages, most of which were from his friends in New York wondering where the hell he was and why he blew them off. Charlie decided he would read them later.  
  
Finally, he found a message from his Aunt Ruthie, written just a couple hours earlier.  
  
_Charlie, it’s Aunt Ruthie. I heard you haven’t been home all weekend. Where are you? I guess you will read this when you get the chance. Your cousin, Savannah, is missing; but don’t worry, I think she has just run away. I only wish I knew where she was. Have you heard from her, Charlie? Please let me know where you are and if you’ve heard from Savannah as soon as possible._  
  
Charlie let out a sigh, the mouse on his computer hovering over the text. He couldn’t decide whether or not to tell his aunt that he was with Savannah and they were safe. He didn’t know Ruthie well enough to trust her, but he was sure Savannah trusted her. Did Savannah even want her aunt to know? Charlie didn’t know much about the Camden family, so he didn’t want to anything that could end up being harmful to Savannah.  
  
He heard the shower shut off and let out a breath.  
  
_Hi, Aunt Ruthie. No, I never went on the trip with my friends and I have not been home all weekend. I’m not in New York, but I am safe and sound. You don’t have to worry. I have heard from Savannah, she is safe and sound as well. Don’t worry about her, I know she will be safe where she is. Trust me on this._  
  
He sent the reply and logged out of Facebook just as the bathroom door opened. Savannah stepped into the main living area wearing the same tracksuit she’d arrived in almost two days earlier.  
  
“What are you doing?” Savannah asked, drying her hair with a towel.  
  
“Oh, um, nothing. I was just checking my mail and Facebook.” Charlie quickly shut his laptop.  
  
“I probably should do that. I haven’t been online since Saturday.”  
  
Charlie stood and brought his computer to the counter, placing his hands over it protectively.  
  
Savannah raised a brow and followed him into the kitchen.  
  
“What’s going on, Charlie?”  
  
“I- I, well, I was just thinking. You know how it’s Christmas Eve?”  
  
“Uh-huh.” Savannah said slowly.  
  
“Well, I’m Catholic and I always go to the midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.”  
  
“Right, then.” Charlie had a feeling Savannah didn’t believe him. She looked at the digital clock displayed on the stove. “Well, it’s six in the afternoon.”  
  
Charlie didn’t say anything; instead, he bit his lips and let out a sigh.  
  
_What was he going to say to her now?_ Charlie didn’t want to get Savannah upset, he hated seeing her in tears; but he knew she would find out sooner or later, and Charlie thought it was better if she heard it from him rather than later from people around town. Or worse: her family.  
  
He hoped he wouldn’t regret telling their Aunt Ruthie. She would figure it out. He knew it.  
  
“Whatever. Forget it. I’m hungry and I’m tired of getting room service. Let’s go to Pete’s Pizza, they have some of the best meatball subs.” She grabbed her purse and started for the door.  
  
“All right,” Charlie said hesitantly. He knew going out was probably one of the worst ideas right now. What if they were spotted? _Well, that wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen._ He reminded himself as he grabbed his wallet and followed Savannah out the door.  
  
“So, how far is this place?” Charlie asked as they stepped into the brisk December air.  
  
“It’s like a ten-minute walk. C’mon, let’s go, I’m starving.”  
  
“Okay.” Charlie couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if they were seen. Lucy and Kevin would definitely be informed and, if Charlie recalled correctly, Savannah’s father was a cop. As much as he tried to ignore the nagging worry that something bad was about to happen, he couldn’t.  
  
**Savannah’s POV**  
  
Savannah couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. First, it was her cousin acting weird when he suddenly suggested they go to a midnight Mass after he refused to let her use his computer. She had never been to a Catholic church, despite her father having been raised Catholic. Did Glen Oak even _have_ a Catholic church? Well, she wouldn’t know; she had been raised Protestant.  
  
Now that they were out on the town, Savannah could hear whispering as people passed, fingers pointed towards them. This wasn’t anything new, really; she was used to being spoken about in Glen Oak. After all, she was the daughter—the _only_ child—of former Associate Pastor Lucy Camden and Detective Kevin Kinkirk. Her grandfather, Eric Camden, had been the community’s sole minister for almost three decades.  
  
Her aunts and uncles have stirred up numerous stories across town over the years. The gossip had really fired up in the past year with her uncle Matt getting fired from the hospital and losing his medical license. Everyone stopped talking about Simon’s sexuality in public a long time ago, but Savannah knew people continued to do so behind closed doors.  
  
Savannah didn’t think there was anything really wrong with being gay. After all, people couldn’t help control who they loved and who they had feelings for; whether that was someone of the same sex or the opposite sex. A person’s heart wants what it wants and that’s what they ought to get.  
  
She couldn’t wait until she got that feeling for the first time. Savannah was a bit withdrawn at school; with Caitlin being the only person she could truly confide in and call a friend. They had become friends in the second grade and have been inseparable since.  
  
None of the guys in her class were daring enough to approach her and whenever she approached them, they would quickly walked away. It wasn’t that she was ugly or smelt badly, they were afraid of her parents; Lucy and Kevin were significant people in Glen Oak. Everyone knew about Lucy’s multiple miscarriages and her mental breakdowns in public, and Kevin’s presence and reputation on the Glen Oak Police Force.  
  
Savannah was never able to judge a guy based on his looks, it was what was on the inside that counted. She was halfway through freshman year and was one of the very few in her class who was not dating. It wasn’t that she had her eyes set on anyone; or anyone _local_ at least. There was a guy that she liked who lived a couple thousand miles away.  
  
He wasn’t a complete stranger, they had spent time together as young children while their mothers were both co-pastors. Unfortunately, after his mother’s downward spiral and eventual suicide, his father took him and moved across the country. They had only recently connected and caught up on Facebook after years of not seeing one another.  
  
But Savannah wasn’t so sure about him. He was one of those really popular guys, all the girls were drawn to him, and he was so intelligent that he skipped two grades; he made the Honor Roll both his freshman and sophomore year of high school.  
  
Savannah laughed, she would never be able to get a guy like him; he wasn’t the sort to go for the school loner. Savannah had a pretty good idea of his social life based on the pictures he shared on Facebook. She knew her mother would go ballistic if she found out who she liked.  
  
“Um, so,” Charlie began, bringing Savannah out of her thoughts.  
  
“Oh, right,” Savannah blushed. “It’s over here.”  
  
The cousins stepped inside and, because it was Christmas Eve, Pete’s Pizza was nearly empty. They found a table at the far corner, away from the entrance and windows. Once they had gotten their order and began to eat, Savannah spoke to Charlie directly for the first time since leaving the hotel half an hour earlier.  
  
“So, what’s going on?” Savannah inquired, again.  
  
“What do you mean?” Charlie asked, twirling pasta around his fork and taking a bite.  
  
“Don’t play stupid. I know there’s something going on. Why is everyone talking?”  
  
Charlie waited until he was finished chewing and swallowing before he spoke.  
  
“Well–,” he began.  
  
“Oh, my God!” Savannah interrupted with a gasp, looking past Charlie.  
  
“What? What is it?” Charlie turned around.  
  
“ _Don’t_ turn around!” Savannah snapped and Charlie obliged immediately.  
  
“What’s going on, Savannah?”  
  
“It’s my uncle!” She whispered, flying out of her seat and taking the one next to Charlie.  
  
“But that’s not–,” Charlie began and Savannah interrupted again.  
  
“No, it’s not.”  
  
“So, do you think he’s cheating on his wife?”  
  
“We’ve had our theories; but yeah, I think so.” Savannah let out a long breath.  
  
She could _not_ believe this.  
  
**Matt’s POV**  
  
There he was, sitting in the front passenger seat of a police car. No, he wasn’t under arrest; but many would say he should be. It was because of _her_ that he wasn’t sitting in a jail cell right now. Why did he continue to do it, then? It was a question he asked himself every day. At home, he had a beautiful wife and three perfect sons. On the surface, one would say he shouldn’t be asking for more out of life.  
  
But he had and it landed him where he was today. He could easily blame one young woman; now twenty and the mother of an eleven-month-old baby. She had ruined his career; her silky blonde hair and deep blue eyes had come onto him like no other. How the hell could he resist her? He couldn’t, in spite of the love he had for his wife and their three children.  
  
He just couldn’t.  
  
Matt Camden had sacrificed everything for her: his reputation, his job, and, most importantly, his family. They would never be the same because of _her_. If Sarah ever found out the whole story, Matt feared he would never see his boys again. Providing all went according to plans, his wife would never find out.  
  
Matt had paid _her_ father good money to not let the media or either one of their families catch wind of the scandal. It had been his whole life savings and in the end, his only punishment had been losing his career and medical license. There was not a single penny in his name after that. His wife instantly became suspicious when he was ‘borrowing’ money from her and not returned it; something he never did when they were going to med school.  
  
So Sarah knew something was up.  
  
Matt was getting desperate now; he knew he had to do something. With _that_ on his record, there was no way in hell any employer would hire him. It was now up to Plan B.  
  
Plan B had been the absolute last resort; but he didn’t have a choice anymore. It was almost as risky as what he had done with _her_. Matt found himself on dark street corners in the sketchy part of town late at night, selling dope. If there had been another route in which he could make fast money, he would have taken it; but there was none. This was it.  
  
He started to make thousands by the week. Sarah began to grow suspicious when he had _too much_ cash in his pockets. There was no easy way around it. Matt told her that he had gotten a new night job. She actually believed it, or so he thought.  
  
Then Christmas came. If there had been a single moment in his life he could go back and change, it would have been that. Not _it_ , but _that_. Sarah had been getting the boys ready to go to the annual family Christmas fiasco. Matt had brought home some of his leftover product that were in desperate need of some use. He figured that if he got a little high, perhaps the ‘reunion’ wouldn’t be so deadly.  
  
Unfortunately for Matt, the kids and Sarah had caught him. It landed him in rehab for a month. They released him with flying colors and ordered him to go to counseling. He had gone for a whole month and then bailed.  
  
March came, and Matt returned to the streets until _she_ happened. It was just an ordinary night on the corner of Maple Street and 5 th Avenue. His heart had leapt a mile when he heard the sirens wail. He tried to run, but she managed to chase him down and cuffed him.  
  
She took him back to the station and interrogated him. It wasn’t long before she realized who he was and he attempted to sweet-talk her out of a jail cell. She let him off with a warning, saying that if it ever happened again, she might not be so lenient.  
  
After that, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. He gave up selling drugs just for her. As much as he had been tempted to, just hoping that she’d show up again, he couldn’t. Instead, he found himself becoming obsessed with her, following her home every night and camping out at the station in the hopes of seeing her.  
  
One night in July, he wracked up the nerve to approach her. He had reluctantly invited her out for coffee and donuts. They spent the whole night together, talking. At first, Matt was in denial with what he wanted; but there was no denying it at the end of the night as Matt recalled his first date with Sarah. Her words still tingled in his ears, “ _I don’t even like coffee._ ” Over the years, he had tried to convince her to drink it but she _still_ wouldn’t go near it.  
  
He gazed into her eyes as _she_ slurped her coffee. Her mesmerizing blue eyes twinkled and she finally asked him what his intentions were. Matt remembered telling her everything: how he couldn’t get her off his mind, how he just wanted to be with her, how he _knew_ it was wrong but couldn’t help it.  
  
At that point, Matt had expected her to slap him and run off; but she didn’t. Instead, she had smiled, amused, and nodded. She said she had seen him _stalking_ her around town, and had been waiting for him to come up and say something to her. As much as she knew it was wrong, she had feelings for Matt.  
  
Since then, they have been an item, sneaking around behind their spouses and children’s backs. He figured she had it ten times worse. They would have to create a new circle in Hell for preacher’s wives that had cheated on their spouses. The suffering would be much worse than one could even imagine and the freezing temperature would be unbearable.  
  
Matt stroked her silky hair as his lips touched her sweet, cherry-tasting lips.  
  
“Chandler has no idea?” He whispered, pulling away and gazing into her mesmerizing eyes.  
  
“He’s clueless,” Roxanne replied quietly. “He thinks I’m on duty, that’s why I have the car. Look on the bright side, though; he’s getting some quality bonding time with Anya.” She giggled, nibbling gently on his ears.  
  
“You’re a genius,” Matt had an edge to his voice as his lips travelled down her collarbone.  
  
Nobody came to Pete’s Pizza on Christmas Eve, and Matt thought it was the perfect _date_ place. There wasn’t any chance of them coming across someone they knew tonight. Matt thought of his wife and three children at home. He hadn’t been there in three days and it was the longest he’d ever stayed away from Sarah and the boys. His cell phone was shut off, so he didn’t have to worry about receiving any messages. It was selfish, but necessary.  
  
He just needed to get away from his family.  
  
They finally pulled away from their passionate embrace, holding hands as they walked into Pete’s Pizza and approached a table in a secluded corner. Once he had sat down, Matt looked past Roxanne and saw a familiar face.  
  
“Oh, crap.” Matt whispered, placing the menu over his face. “Roxanne, it’s my niece and some boy. I didn’t even know they were dating. _Shit_ , she’ll tell my kids and wife!”  
  
To his surprise, Roxanne showed no sign of stress or aggravation. Instead, she looked at him sternly.  
  
“Matt, what did we say about the drugs? Remember what I said I’d do if I caught you using again?  
  
To his surprise, Roxanne showed no sign of stress or aggravation. Instead, she looked at him sternly.  
  
Matt lifted an eyebrow.  
  
_She was accusing him of being on drugs?  
_  
“Roxanne, I swear. I’m not high! Savannah’s really behind you,” he whispered, eyes wide.  
  
“Matt,” Roxanne gasped. “This isn’t something to joke about! She has been missing for over a day and half. You’re hallucinating now; which is normal for parents and relatives of missing children. I know this news has to be hard to hear, Matt.” She placed her hand over his.  
  
_Kidnapped_? Matt’s jaw dropped open. _Savannah was kidnapped_? He eyeballed the menu as he kept stealing glances at his fourteen-year-old niece and the boy she was sitting with. He couldn’t have been any older than fifteen. His blond hair stuck out against his tan skin. Matt had never seen this boy before and one thing was certain: he definitely didn’t look like a kidnapper.  
  
Matt’s hand trembled as he reached for his phone, realizing he hadn’t turned it on since he was last home. Slowly, he pressed the button to power it up. After a moment, he saw that he had over a hundred missed calls and one voice message from Sarah. Out of all those calls, his wife had bothered to leave only one voice message.  
  
His eyes bounced back between Roxanne, Savannah, the mystery boy sitting with her, and his phone. He decided to dial his voice mail and entered his password. A moment later, his wife’s angry voice came into his ear.  
  
“ _All right, Matt. I don’t know where you are or who you’re with; but I do know you’re not with me and the boys. I promised them you’d be home tonight. Please don’t make me break another promise to your sons. It’s not fair to them; they miss their father, Matt.  
  
I have a feeling I know what you’re up to and, if I’m right, I’ll never forgive you. We’ll be _ done _. I hope I’m wrong, because I don’t want to do that to our sons. But you obviously don’t care, or you’d be here.  
  
Oh, and Savannah’s missing. If that doesn’t get your attention and bring you home, then I don’t know what will. Goodbye, Matt._ ”  
  
Matt’s stomach churned uneasily as he looked towards Roxanne. She frowned.  
  
“Was that your wife?”  
  
Matt nodded somberly.  
  
“Yeah, to tell me Savannah’s missing and to come home.”  
  
Roxanne shook her head.  
  
“This is such a bad idea, Matt. I-I love you, but…you’re married…and so am I.”  
  
“Roxanne, don’t do this. We can’t think like this.”  
  
A tear trickled down her face.  
  
“Roxanne,” Matt said quietly. “Savannah’s right behind you. Please look.”  
  
Roxanne let out a sigh, turning around reluctantly.  
  
“Holy crap, you’re not hallucinating!” She screeched, breaking away from Matt, hurrying towards the _missing_ Savannah Kinkirk and the mystery boy.  
  
**Roxanne’s POV**  
  
Roxanne’s head was swarming with a million thoughts and emotions at once. She had been seeing Matt Camden in secret for almost six months. How the hell they managed to get away with it, she still didn’t know. Her husband could _not_ find out. It wasn’t that she didn’t love Chandler, she did; but there was something about Matt’s fearless _bad boy_ demeanor that drew her towards him.  
  
Before she married Chandler, Roxanne had been afraid something like this would happen. He was a _good boy_ and she wasn’t sure if she could live up to his Godly image. She had never gone to church her whole life, she rarely prayed, and she wasn’t even one hundred percent certain there even was a God. How could _she_ , Roxanne Richardson, be a _preacher_ ’s wife?  
  
When she and Chandler separated, it had been some of the loneliest days of her life. He had gone off to Pennsylvania with whatever that chick’s name was and Roxanne had gone to Iraq. When she was honorably discharged from the Army, Chandler was the first person she thought of. She had been hesitant to get in touch at first; but it was a blessing she did.  
  
He was single and living in Pennsylvania, preaching at one of those Puritan churches. That woman, Roxanne wanted to say her name was Blair, had ditched him; she was using Chandler for sex and nothing more. He had grown sick of her and her promiscuous ways; she was ruining his image as a preacher. So, he had begun to annoy her enough and she left. She took Jeffrey with her; the young boy had grown accustomed to her lifestyle.  
  
Now, here they were; it was ten years later, Roxanne and Chandler were married, and had a darling four-year-old daughter named Anya. Roxanne knew she was no better than her husband’s ex. But at least that _skank_ Blair had been upfront and truthful about her cheating.  
  
Back in the present, Roxanne broke away from the table in a rush. Suddenly, her cheating on Chandler no longer mattered. Kevin Kinkirk’s _kidnapped_ daughter was sitting at a table right across from them. She immediately recognized the boy the young girl was sitting next to. It was Charles Miguel Rivera; she remembered seeing his face in a photo that had been faxed to the station earlier on in the day.  
  
“Savannah!” Roxanne cried as she ran towards her. “ _What_ on Earth are you doing?”  
  
“Um…” The girl looked at her companion and back at Roxanne. “Well, I am eating a sub and he is eating spaghetti.”  
  
She took the last bite of her meatball sub, acting as if there was nothing out of the ordinary going on around her.  
  
“Your parents and the law enforcement have been searching for you for the past thirty-six hours. But there’s going to be plenty of time for questioning later. You’re both coming with me.” Roxanne said sternly, motioning for the two teenagers to follow her.  
  
But neither moved.  
  
“Come on, I really don’t feel like handcuffing two minors today.”  
  
Under normal circumstances, Roxanne would follow protocol and call the station for backup immediately before approaching the missing teens. However, this situation was different. If she called the station, they would begin questioning her on why she was with Matt Camden. She could say she was _counseling_ him; but that wouldn’t exactly fly; especially with Kevin.  
  
There was something else that made this case unique: this was her ex-partner’s daughter she was dealing with. She was personally involved.  
  
Savannah and Charles Miguel Rivera gaped at each other, sighing, before deciding to follow her. Roxanne glanced quickly at Matt.  
  
“I’m sorry,” she mouthed as she led the teenagers out of Pete’s Pizza and to the police car.  
  
“What were you doing with my uncle?” Savannah demanded, getting into the back seat.  
  
“ _I_ will ask the questions. You answer them, got it?” Roxanne snapped, placing the key in the ignition. “First of all–, oh crap.”  
  
She looked around the car quickly, realizing she had left her purse with Matt. That was bad.  
  
“I’ll be right back, you two stay put.” She looked at Savannah and Charles Miguel Rivera in the back seat before exiting the vehicle, hurrying into the restaurant quickly to retrieve her purse. However, when she returned, the car was gone.  
  
“ _Crap_ ,” she groaned in frustration, realizing she had left her keys in the ignition.


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The crack only gets more real from this point on.
> 
> **There is a scene that leads to consensual sex between two people under the age of consent.**

**Matt’s POV**  
  
Matt Camden watched his flawed lover rip her purse off the table just a moment later, hurrying out the door. He was shocked Roxanne had left Savannah and Charlie in the car. His head shook back and forth at her as she made her way back outside in a rush.  
  
His face flustered with nerves. _What was he supposed to do now_? Surely, Roxanne would make her way to the station with the two teenagers. Immediately, he knew he had to get out. He found himself fiddling in his pocket for enough fare to pay for a bus ride home. His face fell when all he found were a couple dimes and a piece of lint; it was nowhere near enough to pay for the bus far.  
  
_Where would he go now_?  
  
The young waiter that that had greeted him and Roxanne when they first entered Pete Pizza walked over to him, smiling.  
  
“Can I take your order?” He asked politely.  
  
Matt shook his head frantically and ran outside, hoping to catch up to Roxanne. His heart stopped when he saw Roxanne standing alone where the police car had once sat.  
  
“What’s going on?” Matt cried, running over to Roxanne. He reached to wrap his arm around her but she pushed him away, taking a couple steps back.  
  
“You’ve got to go, Matt! Get out, go back to your wife.” Roxanne cried.  
  
“Where’s the car? Savannah? Charlie?” Matt demanded.  
  
Roxanne shook her head.  
  
“When I went in to get my purse, I left the keys in the ignition. Those little brats stole my police car.” Her sad eyes gazed into Matt. “Matt, you have to get out of here. Go home to Sarah and the kids. I have to report this to the station, and if they come here and find you with me, we’re both dead. I also have to call Kevin and tell him I let his daughter get away.”  
  
Matt frowned and nodded.  
  
“You’re right; but I don’t have any cash on me.”  
  
Roxanne reached into her purse and pulled out a twenty dollar bill.  
  
“Here, take the bus. Now _shoo_!” She shrieked, looking around.  
  
Without kissing Roxanne goodbye, Matt made a run towards the nearest bus stop, less than a block away. Here he was, going back to Sarah after three days. _What would she say_? Surely she would kill him. He might as well already write his obituary on the ride home.  
  
Matt Camden was a dead man.  
  
**Savannah’s POV**  
  
Savannah Kinkirk sat, dumbstruck, in the passenger seat of a police car. Next to her, sitting in the driver’s seat, was not a police car. Savannah shook her head as she nervously looked out the window into the darkness. He had _really_ done it.  
  
_“Quick, in the front seat!” He had cried as Roxanne hurried inside to retrieve her purse.  
  
“What? No, we can’t, Charlie!” She shrieked hysterically.  
  
“Come on, Savannah!” Charlie had gotten out of the back seat and was now in the front. “It’s either this or we go to jail. It’s your choice.  
  
Go to jail?_ She wondered. They hadn’t done anything illegal, right? She gazed at Charlie inquisitively. She hadn’t done anything illegal; or, at least, to her knowledge she hadn’t done anything to break the law. _What has he done_? Her head throbbed. Nonetheless, she didn’t want to go to jail and, without a second thought, she jumped into the passenger seat. Before she could buckle in, Charlie pressed on the gas.  
  
“Have you ever driven a car before?” Savannah asked her cousin nervously.  
  
“Yeah, sure, all the time,” Charlie answered, but something about the look on his face told Savannah that he was lying. She couldn’t help but shoot him a heavy glare until he let out a sigh. “All right, I don’t drive. I’m getting my permit when I turn sixteen in May, you have to be sixteen to get your learner’s permit in New York.”  
  
After hearing those words, Savannah suddenly felt ill and gripped on to her seat belt. Her eyes fell on Charlie’s hands as he turned the corner. The driver of this police car had never driven in his life. _You have to be sixteen to get your learner’s permit in New York_ , his words repeated in her head.  
  
In California, you had to be fifteen to get your learner’s permit. Savannah had been looking forward to her birthday, which was just a couple weeks away. She could not wait to get behind the wheel; she could only imagine the freedom she would have. _If only her parents would ever approve_ , but something told her that she wouldn’t be driving until she was eighteen.  
  
“Where are we going?” Savannah gasped as they turned onto a familiar street.  
  
_They were going to the inn!_  
  
“We’re getting our stuff!” Charlie cried. “We obviously can’t stay here with a missing police car. We need to go somewhere less noticeable.”  
  
“Well,” Savannah began, bitterness evident in her tone. “If we left town, then it would be more noticeable. We have to stay in Glen Oak, where we blend in.”  
  
Her eyes widened as she remembered that all police cars had tracking devices.  
  
“Charlie, this car has a GPS installed! I think it’s beneath the car. They will be able to track us with it.”  
  
He pulled into the parking lot of the inn, shrugging as he shut the engine off.  
  
“Well, I can fix that. Easy. My uncle is a mechanic. I just have to look around a bit.”  
  
Charlie got out of the car and on his knees, using his phone’s flashlight to see.  
  
“What are you doing?” Savannah’s head was beginning to throb. She felt the car rock back and forth a couple times, and then something falling to the ground. Charlie appeared a moment later with something that looked like a large disk.  
  
“This…” Charlie breathed, getting on his feet and pocketing his phone. “Is the GPS.”  
  
“Oh, my…” Savannah looked at him, speechless.  
  
“Come on, let’s go. We don’t have a lot of time.” Charlie hurried into the building and Savannah reluctantly followed him. They went into their room and Savannah began to throw clothes into her duffel bag. Her heart began pounding as a million thoughts flew through her head.  
  
_What were they going to do now? Where were they going to go? What was going to happen?_ Savannah hoped Charlie had a plan because she sure as hell didn’t.  
  
Less than five minutes later, both Charlie and Savannah had their bags packed and hurried out to the car. Savannah noted the GPS sitting on the counter, and couldn’t help but wonder if the car was actually untraceable right now. She didn’t have much exposure to technology at home, but she heard stories about how the camera and microphones on mobile phones were always tracking you, even when not in use.  
  
“Where are we going?” Savannah asked, buckling in as Charlie started up the engine.  
  
“I- I don’t know, to be honest. Do you have any suggestions?”  
  
“Well, I doubt my parents will be home. Every year on Christmas Eve, my dad takes my mom to the hotel where they got engaged. So I don’t think it’s going to be any different this year, even though I am missing.”  
  
Charlie let out a sigh and shook his head.  
  
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Savannah. We already took a pretty big risk going out; so, I think going to your house would be a huge risk.”  
  
“We’d be a hell lot safer at my house than we would be sleeping in this car.”  
  
“All right, then; let’s go to your house. But if it even looks like anyone is home, we’re not stopping.” Savannah nodded in agreement. Charlie put the car in drive and speeded off out of the parking lot and down the dimly-lit street.  
  
After receiving directions from Savannah, the two teenagers finally arrived at her house. Savannah hurried outside and opened the garage so he could pull in and they would be safe. Her father’s police car still sat in the driveway like it did every day; but the van wasn’t in the garage, so her parents’ weren’t home.  
  
_We’re safe, for now_. Savannah waved for Charlie to come inside.  
  
The two cousins slowly stepped into the empty house. It had a chilly feeling to it. Savannah couldn’t believe it was Christmas Eve, but her home showed no sign of the holiday season. The tree wasn’t set up, there were no stockings hanging from the fireplace, the smell of freshly baked cookies did not linger in the air.  
  
Savannah had a feeling this was going to be one messed up Christmas.  
  
“Hey, I was going to take a shower before going to bed.” Charlie swung his bag over his shoulder, looking around. “I’m exhausted, and who the hell knows what’ll happen tomorrow.”  
  
_Tomorrow. Christmas Day._  
  
“Oh, yeah. My bathroom’s upstairs, second on the right.”  
  
“Thanks.” He hurried up the steps, leaving Savannah alone in the living room. She looked at the photographs on the mantelpiece. _They looked so happy._ She thought, but knew it was all for show. It was a lie that they told their friends, their family.  
  
_How had they gotten here?_ Savannah’s head began to throb again. She turned away from the pictures and walked slowly up the stairs. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, she was sure her family knew she hadn’t been kidnapped by now. Charlie didn’t know she knew, but she did. She caught a snippet of the local news the night before.  
  
Savannah looked at her bedroom door, noticing the undone latch. As much as she didn’t want to think about it, she wondered what was going through her parents’ mind when they discovered her empty bed Monday morning. How long did it take for them to get word out to their family that their daughter was _kidnapped_? Did anyone in her family believe she had run away.  
  
_Probably Aunt Ruthie, and maybe Aunt Sarah._  
  
Savannah stepped into the room with a sigh and took note of the deadbolt. It was sitting on her desk, with the key on the floor. She could almost hear her mother screaming for Kevin. _Kevin, come here! Savannah’s missing!_  
  
She shook her head and huffed, quickly grabbing the deadbolt and stuffed it in her desk drawer. If Charlie saw that, she wasn’t sure what would happen. She had no idea what the night and the hours of Christmas morning would bring.  
  
She was scared.  
  
“Savannah?” Charlie’s voice travelled down the hall.  
  
“In here!” She called back, and she heard footsteps approaching.  
  
“Hey, that bathroom of yours is very creepy.” Charlie laughed. Savannah couldn’t help but notice that he was only wearing a towel, set low on his waist.  
  
“Yeah, my mom has it in her head that I’m still five years old.” Savannah laughed nervously, blinking her eyes a few times.  
  
“Well, it’s still early. I’m going to put some pajamas on and we can watch some TV.”  
  
“Sure. I’ll do the same.” Savannah gulped, turning away from her cousin. She had no idea what was happening to her right now. _What the hell was going on?_  
  
“Savannah, you all right?” Charlie took a step forward, his hand on her shoulder.  
  
“I- I’m fine.” Savannah sighed, turning around to face Charlie.  
  
“I’m scared. I- I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Eventually, my parents are going to come back home.”  
  
“I’m here, Savannah.” Charlie said quietly, running a hand through her hair. “Whatever happens, I’ll be right by your side.”  
  
Savannah gulped, the touch sending a shock through her body.  
  
“Th- thanks, Charlie.” She looked into his green eyes.  
  
“Of course.” Charlie kissed her forehead and before Savannah could stop herself, she was pulling her to him, placing her lips on his. He pushed her away gently, eyes wide.  
  
“Whoa, what the hell is going on?”  
  
“I’m sorry!” Savannah cried. _She had no idea, her world was slowly burning to the ground_. “I have no idea what the fuck is going on. Everything’s just so messed up, Charlie. I- I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Apparently they’re making such a huge deal that I’ve been _kidnapped_ and my mom had the nerve to pick out the worst picture of me to share with the media. I just want to forget it.”  
  
“Well,” Charlie laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair. “Kissing your cousin is going to make things _a bit_ _worse_ Savannah, not better.”  
  
Savannah could feel her blood boiling.  
  
“ _Fine!_ You know what, you are just an ass. Why did you even come here, Charlie? You keep this a secret from me for two days, and- and- I don’t know. I need someone here for me and you’re the only person I have right now. I can’t go to my best friend because her mother is going to call my mother and father!”  
  
“Savannah,” Charlie breathed, taking a step closer.  
  
“Charlie.” Savannah blinked, releasing a stream of tears.  
  
“I’m sorry.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry I kept this from you for so long. I should have told you right away when I saw your picture on the news. There’s so much more I am sorry about, that I don’t know where to begin. Right now, I am not sure how to feel.”  
  
“Aren’t you _scared_ , Charlie? I’m scared. That Roxanne woman is probably calling my dad, and they’ll put out a search on the car. They’ll track down that GPS; go to the inn, only to find it on the counter and the car missing. Charlie, this- this is turning into to such a fucked-up Christmas. I don’t know how or when it will end.”  
  
“I’m _terrified_ , Savannah. But that’s no reason to–,”  
  
“ _Why_ , Charlie? Why the hell not?” Savannah cried.  
  
“We’re _cousins_. It’s _incest_. We cannot do this, Savannah.”  
  
Savannah rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and scoffed.  
  
“Like you’ve never done anything wrong, Mr. Goody-Two Shoes.”  
  
“Oh, sure, I’ve gotten into trouble. But I’ve never kissed anyone in my family.”  
  
“Charlie, we might be _dead_ tomorrow. Knowing my mom, this is our last night alive.”  
  
“Whoa, _dead_? Savannah, don’t you think that’s a bit extreme?”  
  
“I don’t know, my mom does get pretty extreme when she’s upset. I overheard my dad talking to Aunt Sarah once about Mom being prescribed antipsychotics.”  
  
“I’m sorry. I-“ Charlie let out a sigh. “Savannah, what if we do this and you end up pregnant? I’ve never slept with anyone, I don’t carry around condoms in my wallet.”  
  
“I’ve never slept with anyone either, Charlie. Look, nothing else matters anymore, okay? The world is so fucked up that, you know, committing incest is just the tip of the iceberg in the mess that will happen tomorrow.”  
  
“I’m… not going to argue with that. It didn’t make any sense, but whatever.” Charlie laughed, stepping closer. Savannah took a deep breath.  
  
“So, does that mean you’re done arguing?” Savannah gulped. _Was this happening?_  
  
“I guess so, Savannah.” Charlie leant down and placed a kiss on her lips. Savannah wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. His hands trembled on her hips, pulling her back and leading her to the bed.  
  
He removed the towel and Savannah let out a gasp, removing her pants. She knew she shouldn’t be doing this; but everything in her world was gone, and Charlie seemed to be the only person to bring her a peace of mind. She cried silently as they joined into one and she made love to her cousin.  
  
**Kevin’s POV**  
  
The last day and half have been the most worrisome of Kevin Kinkirk’s life. With each passing hour, the belief that his daughter had run away diminished; and the belief that she’d been kidnapped grew.  
  
He knew she was afraid of getting her mother on the phone if she called home. If she called the station, both he _and_ Lucy would be informed. Savannah wouldn’t want that; but he knew she would have found a way to get in touch with him anyhow. She was a smart girl.  
  
However, that morning, Kevin had been informed of something that made him even _more_ certain that Savannah had run away. It had been around eight o’clock; he had been sipping his second cup of coffee when a missing child’s scan came into the police station. Every time a child went missing, an Amber Alert would be issued and scans of their pictures would go out to police stations across the nation.  
  
Kevin didn’t recognize the face, but he knew the name the minute he saw it: Charles Miguel Rivera. _Shit_ , he remembered thinking. He knew immediately that this was his long-lost nephew. If Lucy found out Charlie was missing as well, she would lose it completely; as if she hadn’t done so already. He couldn’t let his wife know.  
  
It was now evening on Christmas Eve, and it was time for Kevin and Lucy’s annual trip to the hotel where they got engaged. They came here every year for a nice, quiet dinner.  
  
This year was different with Savannah gone. Lucy had been hell-bent on staying home, and it took Kevin almost an hour to convince his wife they should go out. It would be good for them. He repeatedly assured her that their daughter would know where to go if they needed help and they would be contacted immediately.  
  
“I’ll have my cell phone turned on. If anything comes up, we’ll leave right away.”  
  
Lucy crossed her arms and huffed for what had to be the hundredth time that day.  
  
“Come on, Luce. We hadn’t been alone together for a while. I really miss you.” Kevin knew this wasn’t exactly true. They had the weekend after Thanksgiving to themselves when Savannah had gone to a sleepover at Caitlin’s.  
  
“But, what if–,” Lucy began, but Kevin interrupted his wife.  
  
“ _What if_ nothing; come on, go change. We have a reservation in an hour.” His voice was firm.  
  
Lucy rolled her eyes and went to their bedroom to change. Kevin let out a sigh of relief, he was glad to be getting out of the house. How would this go down, he didn’t know and didn’t want to know. He had a feeling the night wouldn’t end well, and not with Savannah.  
  
Soon, they were out the door and on their way to the restaurant. Kevin could still remember the day they got engaged. It seemed like just yesterday and, yet, it seemed so far away; as if it belonged to a past lifetime. He smiled, getting lost in the memories of that night, of the woman he had fallen in love with all those years ago. Things certainly have changed in the past seventeen years.  
  
“Kevin?” Lucy’s voice cut into his reminiscing. “Are you going to get out.”  
  
“Huh?” Kevin looked over at his wife and then to the front. He hadn’t realized the long drive already concluded, and they were now in the hotel’s parking garage. “Yeah, of course.”  
  
He cleared his throat and quickly unbuckled, shut off the engine, and got out.  
  
“I know you are worried about Savannah.” Lucy wrapped an arm around her husband’s waist as the couple made their way towards the elevator.  
  
_Not exactly true_ , Kevin thought; but he wouldn’t voice this to Lucy.  
  
“But, you know, on the drive over,” Lucy continued, “I have been thinking. You were right, we need this night to get away from everything and just focus on ourselves. It has been a while since we were alone.”  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Kevin and Lucy were being seated at a secluded corner of the hotel’s upscale Italian restaurant. Once their orders were placed, Kevin brought his hand over the table and laid it atop his wife’s.  
  
Lucy smiled at him; it was the first time Kevin had seen her smile in three days. How he missed her smile; he wished things would be the way they used to be, a seemingly countless number of years ago.  
  
Suddenly, the ringing of his cell phone cut through the silence, interrupting the long lost and needed moment between Kevin and Lucy. He waited a moment before pulling his hand away from his wife, reaching into his jacket pocket to answer the phone.  
  
“Kevin Kinkirk.”  
  
“It’s Roxanne. Where are you guys?”  
  
“Lucy and I are out on a date at the Italian restaurant up on Lincoln, like we are every year on Christmas Eve. Is there something you need, Roxanne?” Kevin sighed, he had a feeling the night was going to go downhill from here.  
  
“Well, I have some news. Big news, both good and bad.”  
  
Kevin took a deep breath, bracing himself.  
  
“What do you want first?” Roxanne asked.  
  
“The good news,” Kevin said after a moment’s pause.  
  
“Savannah has been spotted at Pete’s Pizza, and she wasn’t alone.” Kevin looked at his wife and held up a finger at her confused gaze. He knew there was bad news coming.  
  
“Who was she with?”  
  
“That missing child they posted at the station today.”  
  
“Charlie Rivera?” He made eye contact with Lucy.  
  
_He had to make sure._  
  
“Are you _sure_ it was Charlie Rivera, Roxanne? Absolutely sure it was him?”  
  
“Yeah, I’m sure. Why? What’s going on, Kevin?”  
  
Kevin let out a pained sigh, _what could the bad news be_?  
  
“Tell me the bad news, Roxanne.”  
  
“They ran off in my squad car.”  
  
“Shit,” he blurted out loud.  
  
“What’s going on? Kevin, who is this Charlie guy?” Roxanne’s voice trembled, she really didn’t know. Of course, Roxanne couldn’t have known. She only knew Mary as Mary Palmer, not Mary Rivera. Charlie had been born after she went to Iraq and Charlie had gone to Puerto Rico when she and Chandler returned to Glen Oak.  
  
“Roxanne, he’s her cousin. His mother is Lucy’s sister, Mary.”  
  
“Oh, my God.” Roxanne gasped.  
  
“Thank you for informing me, Roxanne. I have to go.” Kevin took notice of his wife’s angry glare. He ended the call and placed his phone back in his jacket pocket.  
  
“So,” Lucy began and crossed her arms. Kevin cringed, knowing what was coming next.  
  
“It seems like you’ve let me out of something important. _Again_.”  
  
“Luce–,” he began, but Lucy continued talking.  
  
“And apparently my nephew, who I haven’t seen for seven years, is missing too; but he has been seen with our daughter. _How_ did that even happen?”  
  
“I don’t know, Luce. I only just–,” Lucy interrupted him once again. Kevin let out a sigh.  
  
“I thought Savannah had been kidnapped, and now Charlie has been posted as missing? Then they were seen _together_? And you don’t seem all that shocked by this!”  
  
Kevin didn’t reply, instead taking a sip of his water and looking around. He noted some of the patrons watching them with curiosity, some of whom were also talking in whispers.  
  
“You never thought she was kidnapped, did you? I can’t believe this; Savannah _ran_ away from home? And how did she even meet Charlie? There’s so many questions, but–,” Lucy held her stomach. “That’ll have to wait.  
  
Lucy stood and hurried off to the restroom.


End file.
